


Love, Destiny

by iMayBeObsessed



Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Big Brother Kai (Ninjago), F/M, Falling In Love, Gay Cole (Ninjago), Love, Love Confessions, M/M, Reader-Insert
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-24
Updated: 2021-01-11
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:40:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 25,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27694979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iMayBeObsessed/pseuds/iMayBeObsessed
Summary: Season Five AUMorro knew that he could prove destiny wrong; it couldn't control him. No force could control Morro.But this time, what if he didn't want to prove destiny wrong?This time, what if there was a force that could control him?Love.
Relationships: Cole/Plundar (Ninjago), Kai/Skylor (Ninjago), Morro (Ninjago)/Reader, Nya/Jay Walker, P.I.X.A.L./Zane (Ninjago)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 18





	1. Prologue

Morro burst forward, the force of the portal expelling him violently from its swirling abyss. He grunted, catching himself with his hands, only for his elbows to buckle and him to find himself collapsed upon the concrete floor. He growled in anger, pain spiking up his arms as he heaved himself from the ground shakily.

Once his feet, still wobbly from the fall, were planted firmly enough for him to hold himself upright, Morro glanced around. He examined the area that surrounded him, a sly grin creeping onto his previously distressed face.

He had made it.

His eyes then jumped to his hands. He pulled his bruised, bloodied palms to face him, eyes alighting in excited menace. His once green, faintly transparent skin was now, well... skin. Disregarding their aches and the small glass shards that slit them for the fact that he had skin, Morro smiled triumphantly. It had worked, he was human.

The boy had a plan. He had been planning for years. From the escape from the Cursed Realm, the part of his plan that took place today, to the way he would get his revenge on Sensei Wu and destiny itself. Everything was to go in order and he was to perform each step correctly. Nothing was going to inhibit him from getting what he wanted. Not this time.

Even so, a little celebration was more than welcomed.

"Now," Morro muttered, teeth showing as his lips widened their smile. "Let's go have some fun."


	2. Chapter One

Kai groaned, the ear-piercing shriek of an alarm bounced from wall-to-wall cruelly. He rolled over lazily and slammed his head slammed face down into the pillow upon the couch on which he was previously relaxing. The fire ninja could be described only as 'giving zero fucks', him making no effort to arise from his current half-asleep state.

Cole sat up violently, the sound shocking him. His bowl of ice cream almost clattered to the floor with such an abrupt motion were it not for his unnaturally fast reflexes to catch the precious deliciousness in time. He sighed, slumping as the short-lived panic released, still clutching the bowl carefully however.

Jay held his hands over his ears. "Maybe... if we ignore it, the evil will go away?!" He shouted over the continuous beeping that seemed to, somehow, grow louder. His eyes were squeezed tight as though the 'if you can't see me, I can't see you' technique would work for whatever evil that was tearing apart the city now.

Lloyd hit his head against the wall lightly, "Why. Can't. We. Have. One. Day?" His eyes were also shut, though more out of tiredness than anything else. They had been worked into the ground daily during training, vigilance being prioritised of late. Today was their first break for weeks, well, it was supposed to be. Nonetheless, the knocking of his head went unnoticed, as did the groans of the others, by Sensei Wu.

"Students," the Sensei commanded, entering calmly, "You are required in Ninjago City." His voice was heard over the shrieking, despite him not raising his voice in the slightest. 

"When are we not?" Kai muttered under his breath, raising his head from the pillow on which he had buried his face to say such before collapsing back into the cushion. He squeezed his eyes tight in annoyance.

"What was that?" The old man asked, head turning to eye the boy clad in red, voice thick with don't-mess-with-me.

"Nothing!" Jay squeaked nervously, covering for Kai before any form of freedom from training they had been granted could be stolen after the mission.

"We are coming now, Sensei," Zane responded, calm as ever. Although, he shot Kai a warning glare, not that Kai saw it. He dismissed his brother and exited the room, followed by a scurrying Jay and tired Cole. Kai, however, remained on the couch.

"Kai," Nya complained, reaching out and tugging on his arm, "We gotta go. Wu is totally gonna make us do extra work if we don't get moving."

"How 'bout," Kai drawled, false consideration forcing him to pause, "no." Lloyd rolled his eyes and twitched his fingers. On command, a little green spark flew just above Kai's head. The fire ninja jumped, barely dodging it and avoiding singed hair, "Hey! Watch the hair!" He cried, face of shock. Kai was tempted to dive at his little brother and aim a little more accurate fireball at Greenie's head.

"Then get up," Lloyd retaliated simply, aiming his fingers a second time, only half-teasing.

"I'm going, I'm going!" The boy defended with new found urgency, hands raised as if to prove his peace and compliance.

"It's probably just a simple mission, in and out," The Green Ninja told them as they headed onwards, praying for it to be true so that they may have at least a little relaxation.

* * *

A simple mission it wasn't.

"I wish we could just have one day off!" Jay cried over the smashes that met them upon arrival of their 'simple mission'. He threw his hands down in frustration and turned away from the scene as if his continued denial would assist the situation.

"Well, maybe-" Lloyd began to suggest before being cut off by a booming, chilling voice. It rose atop the screams of the people, though still seemed quiet and close. Either way, whoever the source, they were taunting them. 

"If it isn't the destined Green Ninja!"

Each of the ninja turned now, all facing outwards with their backs towards each other to form a circle that allowed them to survey the area. Trained eyes watched in careful silence. The crashes halted and they stood, guarded. A figure appeared. He was hooded in a deep, bottle green gi, though the robe was torn and bloodied. His hands were the same, dried and dirty blood seeping down his wrists, the hastily tied gauze over them did little-to-nothing to assist the state of them. Straps and buckles ran along the unidentified opponent, a black hood covering his face and bandana blocking from nose down. Only their eyes were visible, a regrettable fact really. His eyes were dark and swirling,  _ cruel _ . Rings of black, purple and green outlined them in such a way it mimicked the patterns of deep bruises or the sockets of the eyes of the undead.

"Wh- who are you?" Jay stuttered, shattering the quiet before it could pull them all down too far. 

"Oh, me? You can call me..." He hummed, considering the question for a moment. A curling finger tapped his chin and his stance, nonchalant, worked further chills through the spines of the fighters. " _ Destiny's Enemy _ ," he decided finally in a sneer. Though his mouth was not visible, you could hear the smirk that widened over his face. 

"Destiny's Enemy?" Cole echoed in confusion, brows furrowed while he watched the figure with jumping eyes.

"I think it's accurate," the hooded person shrugged, raising his hands slowly and widening his empty palms. Lloyd's eyes flashed when he realised that the figure did not have a weapon of any form. Zane's brain worked at a million miles an hour as he noticed the same, attempting to figure out exactly how the crashes had been caused without such. "But, let's stop with the chit-chat," the objector drawled. "Why don't we have some fun?"

"Fun?" Lloyd questioned unsteadily, his sword gripped tightly, yet feebly, in his shaking grasp. There was something in the person who opposed them that shook the usually poised boy to the bone.

"Yeah!" Destiny's Enemy exclaimed brightly, childlike innocence fluttering over his face as though he had asked to go play catch. However, in one movement his face contorted, eyes now narrowed in menace. " _ Fun _ ," he repeated through barred teeth. Swiftly, Destiny's Enemy pulled back their hands and pushed forth, sending the ninja back with a light grunt of exertion. The team cried out in shock, Cole being the only one to stay on his feet. The others rolled backwards violently, heads shielded by their arms in an attempt at protection as they slammed into walls or parked cars.

"The hell was that?!" Kai yelled, rolling his shoulder as he stood. His lip was already split and his nose was bloody and crooked, though he paid such pains little attention.

"You and I have contradictory definitions of the word 'fun'!" Zane called, rushing toward the figure.

"Oh, I'm sorry, was that not what you wanted?" The person teased. "How 'bout,  _ this _ ?!" He gibed, forming his hands into a twisting ball of air before forcing the ninja back again. They yelled yet stayed upright this time, crouching low to the ground in a calculated movement.

"Our turn," Nya growled, spheres of water forming at each of her own hands. The figure faltered momentarily, eyes widened in what she detected as fear.

"Water?" He practically squeaked, maniacal demeanour dissolving within the short time span of a few seconds to be replaced by one that was shrinking back.

"Don't like that?" She retorted smugly, diving towards him fiercely as she sent her hands forward. The figure dodged, though his hand wrapped in gauze was hit. He pulled back, fear striking him instinctively and he froze before a realisation clicked in his brain. Relaxing from his moment of being frozen, he examined his hand, curling the fingers at eye level. The ninja stopped in confusion at his own interest in his hand. 

Then, he smiled. "No, water is just fine," Destiny’s Enemy rose again, posture redeemed and eyes glowing. The team gained back their own stances, passion and adrenaline rushed through their veins and blood in their ears as they cried out.

The ironically beautiful dance that was a battle began, choreographed within split-seconds of notice, feeding a fire within.

Attacks were met with blocks, blocks were followed by new attacks. Elements of all forms lit up the midday sky in fluorescent flashes of colour, each empowered source growing weak from exhaustion yet remained through the fuel of intense emotion. Cries of pain went ignored, acknowledged by stiff and swift 'are you okay's' at the very most. Each person focussed upon their own movements, vitally calculated lest a wrong move was to lead them to their demise.

In short, their objector held his ground well. With an ability they were yet to understand, he fought as though each movement from the ninja was predicted. Zane also identified that his actions were similarly carried out to their own. No matter what they did, it was matched.

"Tired?" He eventually teased, speaking for the first time in what felt like hours.

"Never," Kai spat, dragging a hand along his forehead to clear the blood that spilled into his vision.

"Speak for yourself," Jay sighed. Leaning over his knees in defeat. "I wanted a day off."

"Not helping,  _ Lightning _ ," Nya muttered, breathing heavily with a hand pressed to her sore side.

"Hey!" The lightning elemental spun around to retort but Cole held him by the shoulder, a faint shake of his head telling the boy that it was not the time. Jay shrugged him off and began to continue his defensive point anyway. 

Destiny's Enemy took the bickering as useful rest time, their distraction allowing him to breathe for a little while. When he felt they had wasted enough of his time, he spoke again. "And you are the saviours of an entire city? How is everyone not dead yet?" He spun around, gesturing to the wide expanse of buildings, though many had crumbling walls, destroyed due to the fight. 

Lloyd shrugged, the only one having heard him. Disappointment was evident upon his own face. "Good question," he sighed, tiredness making his limbs heavy. Though this did not mean much, they had to continue until- Well, until it was over. Lloyd turned to try and snap his team out of it, though he ended up involved in the argument also. 

"Shame it'll have to go with one less when you are already so hopelessly incompetent," the opponent tsked in mock sympathy, unsheathing a small dagger from a holster on his thigh. No one seemed to hear him, his tease lost within the sound of their explosive discussion. “Rude, that was a killer line,” the figure lamented to no one but himself, the ninja still not listening. He raised his arm high, taking his aim in an almost care-free fashion, savouring the granted extra time. He practically laughed at the ninja who failed to notice the blade now being pointed at the water ninja. 

Then, he stepped forward, following his arm through with the motion. Letting go of the dagger, he let it fly through the air. It twirled in such a way that allowed the sunlight to flicker over the metal, forming patterns of dancing light. He watched in entertained interest, waiting for the cry of pain that would ring through the air when it reached its target. 

At the last second, Kai glanced up to see the dagger that headed straight towards his sister. His head shot up and eyes widened in panic. Without thinking, the fire ninja dove forward, arms outstretched. He pushed Nya over, and instinctively, sent a flickering ball of fire at the persecutor of the weapon. Their opposition cried out in shocked pain, the fire hitting his arm and sending his robe alight. He yelled again, shaking out the flames while hissing at the now burnt skin, red and raw under his touch. 

The water elemental shouted in offence at the sudden push before noticing her brother, now heaving on the ground. “Fire!” She cried, crouching quickly to the ground to check him over. Kai looked up with protectiveness within his own eyes. 

“Are you okay?” 

“Me?! I’m fine. You’re the one who was stabbed!” 

Kai looked down to find a gaping wound lining his forearm. The red of his gi darkened with every second and the fabric was slit in a clean line. “Oh, so I was,” Kai remarked dryly, not a hint of alarm shaking his voice even the slightest. The other’s watched on in confusion; it all having occurred so fast, too fast for even a ninja (or nindroid) to process. The red ninja eyed the dagger beside him, heaving his body upright on the ground with a light groan. “Do you reckon the bastard will want his knife back?” 

They suddenly remembered their battle opponent, the person who was the  _ source _ of the dagger. Immediately, all the ninja looked up, searching for Destiny’s Enemy to no avail. He was gone, disappeared without a trace. “Son of a bitch,” Kai cursed, twirling the weapon between his fingers. Zane reached down to examine the wound as Cole, Lloyd and Jay spread out to ensure the enemy was really gone. The ice ninja was not overly concerned by the injury, allowing Nya to relax beside him. 

Ten minutes later, Lloyd returned, followed by Cole and Jay. “He’s gone,” Cole said dismally, sighing in defeat. 

“Yeah, whoever  _ he  _ is,” Jay added in an annoyed voice, tempted to collapse onto the floor and call it a day then and there. 

“We’ll find him,” Lloyd assured them. Flicking at the fabric of his gloves in frustration with a creased forehead. His mind worked to figure out a solution, though nothing seemed to come to his usually quick mind. 

“And when we do, I would like to hit him. Very,  _ very _ hard,” Kai muttered, staring down at the cut in his arm. He toyed with the frayed edge of his gi as anger crossed his face. Silence dragged on through the ninja team, only stopped when Kai hissed as Zane pressed a bandage over the large cutm not that Zane cared. 

“Sorry, Brother,” he dismissed Kai’s pain, apologising with no sympathy to spare. Zane did not even glance the red ninja’s way, knowing he had been through far worse. 

“No you aren’t,” Kai pointed out, tilting his head away as he tried to ignore the pain that grew stronger while his adrenaline ebbed away. 

“No, I’m not.” Zane finished with a quirk of his shoulder, an ‘innocent’ smile playing on his lips as he finished with Kai’s wound. He wrapped it up so that the blood loss would be minimised until they could reach proper medical supplies back at the bounty. 

“C’mon, let’s go home,” Kai said, standing slowly as his vision flashed fleetingly. Nya held his other arm to steady him while he regained his sight and strength. 

“And savour whatever is left of our day off,” Jay nodded his head in agreement, frowning in disappointment under his hood. 

“Not what I was referring to,” Kai commented. “I meant so that I could get proper treatment. Y’know? For my  _ stab wound _ ,” the fire ninja rolled his eyes, about to cross his arms before thinking better of it. 

“Yeah, but my day off is still important,” Jay retaliated as though a stab wound and loss of a day off were of the same severity. In fairness, to him, they were. 

Not another word was said, Kai disregarding the argument as he knew Jay would not allow sense to be knocked into him. Using their elemental dragons, the ninja flew back to the bounty. Few words were spoken as both exhaustion and frustration at the loss of the fight urged them to keep the unusual, though appreciated, quiet. 

Once Kai was properly treated and quite literally stitched up. Each of the other ninja had allowed themselves long showers, cleaning their numerous other cuts and washing the grime from their skin. Dressed in more comfortable clothes, they all relaxed in the living room, no one bothering to so much as speak. 

Jay, sprawled across the couch, eventually sat up with a determined glint in his eye. “I want cotton candy,” he announced, licking his lips in eager anticipation of the deliciousness he had swiftly decided was vital to his being. 

Kai raised an eyebrow, “Aren’t you too old for cotton candy?” The elemental already knew Jay’s opinions on the topic, he merely said it to be antagonistic. The loss of the battle, and stupidity of almost letting Nya get hit, had put him in a bad mood. If anything, the joy of pissing Jay off could cheer him up. 

“How dare you!” Jay cried indignantly, striking himself up to full height in an attempt at being intimidating, something, to the other ninja, was practically impossible for him to do. “No one is ‘too you’ for cotton candy,” he asserted, mocking Kai’s voice for extra effect. 

Kai sent him a confused look. “I don’t sound li-” 

“Yes you do, shut up,” Jay interrupted, waving off the complaint in annoyance. “Besides, it makes me feel young, deal with it.” The boy crossed his arms stubbornly. Then, without another word, he stood despite how his muscles called out their rejections in the form of painful aches. The lightning elemental left the room and went back into the city, still determined for his cotton candy. 

He followed the footpath tiredly, feebly kicking up stones with his feet and watching them roll in boredom. Despite it being only a few minutes into his journey, he wondered if the travel of persevering through the pain was worth such candy. After what felt to him like an eternity, he looked up and spotted the candy store that held his goal. Excitement enabled the boy to forget his aches and muscle inability and he rushed onwards, wishing to enjoy at least one part of his day off with the sweetness of cotton candy. It would all be worth it then. However, excitement also meant that he rushed straight into another human being, one he conveniently did not see. 

He groaned in both pain and annoyance, today was really not his day. 

* * *

Morro muttered curses under his breath, unravelling the bloodied gauze on his hands so that it could be replaced with a new covering. The former ghost grimaced, momentarily forgetting the burns that lined the rest of his arm and shifting it too quickly, causing pain to flow in seething pangs along his nerves; something he was still getting used to. He was unaware that there were multiple ninja, only knowing that there would be the Green Ninja who may prove as a nuisance. Sighing, he chucked the ruined gi, burnt, bloodied and torn, across the room and forgot his wounds for a moment to examine his surroundings in proper depth. It was small, with few rooms and rickety wood that felt as if it would fall apart at any second. Nonetheless, it was shelter and it was free. He had called in a-  _ favour of sorts  _ with a friend of his, Soul Archer, who seemed to have connections back in Ninjago. It worked out well, the man named Ronin, an annoying, yet useful individual, showed him the hideout that would allow him safety, while asking a total of zero questions. The man understood that illegal activity was bound to take place, and smartly, knew not to ask. Morro had been granted however much time he required. 

Morro heaved another sigh, shoulders dropping as he revised his plan in his head. The plan that only accounted for the Green Ninja. One of the only positives of the encounter that day was that he had realised he was now allowed to touch water, it no longer being a threat to his existence. While good knowledge to hold, it was a silly discernment when he actually considered it. And, true to his estimations, Morro had learnt that these ninja--though incompetent for the most part--were trained by Wu. He recognised their fighting tactics and form immediately, understanding that he himself followed similar patterns. If anything, he would be able to find the old man a little simpler now, knowing that Sensei Wu had other connections. Even so, the burns on his arm did not feel to be a worthy trade for such knowledge when it would have taken very little time to find out injury-free. 

“I’ll get you,” he spoke to no one in particular, though the comments were directed at the ninja and their ever-irritating master. “You’ll pay for this.” He smiled at the mere thought of the revenge that was to come in due time, “Just wait and see, this is only the beginning.” 


	3. Chapter Two

I huffed, crossing my arms in annoyance. I twirled around in hopeless circles, feet threatening to trip over themselves as I prayed that a sign would appear from thin air to direct me on my way. My phone's 'no battery' announcement flashed annoyingly before halting and changing to a totally black screen. My frustration tempted me to throw the device, though I restrained myself enough to keep it intact. Instead, I clenched it with whitening knuckles. 

"Great," I sighed, glancing from side-to-side. "New city, new people, no phone, apparently evil history," I tsked to myself, drama forcing its way through my teeth despite my best efforts to keep calm. Of course, I wasn't being  _ that _ dramatic, this city did have some form of evil history. I had been on Twitter enough to know that the 'Almighty Lord Garmadon' had once run havoc amongst the city before the Green Ninja came to the aid of his people alongside his, in my humble opinion, badass Ninja Squad. From then on, Garmadon had gone into hiding, planning his next evil attack while the Ninja continued to save the day. My research on the city before moving had also told me that Lord Garmadon had a son, Lloyd Garmadon. The boy was just as evil as his father, I had learned, and he was probably helping his father in his evil escapades. 

Didn't matter now, I was lost. Wonderful. Knowing my luck, Garmadon would greet me next and… capture me or something. I don’t know. 

Considering which of the four roads I should pick and hope for the best, I didn't notice the blue blur that ran straight at me. That was until I was no longer on my feet, and rather, upon the floor due to the before-mentioned blue blur crashing into me. A number of curse-words ran to my lips, about to exit in an onslaught of frustration when the blue blur, who was actually a teenage boy, interrupted me. 

"OhmygoshIamsosorry!" He exclaimed, flailing his hands frantically and jumping on the balls of his feet before lifting me up by the arm with surprising strength. He failed to notice my surprise at what he made out to be a simple task, too busy ensuring that I was okay and fussing over his mistake. 

The words died on my tongue and I found myself smiling at the kind-of adorable reaction. I laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of my neck in embarrassment, "I- it's okay. I should have been looking where I was going anyway." 

The boy held out his hand and I reached out also, shaking it uncertainly. "My name is Jay," he smiled brighter than the sun itself, lightening my own, particularly shitty, mood. 

"Y/n," I responded shortly, only then realising the expression he watched me with. He examined my unsure face with a look of confusion, a head tilt accompanying his squinted eyes. I shifted uncomfortably as he eyed me. 

"Are you new here?" Jay eventually asked, the questions feeling random and sudden. 

I sighed, "Is it that obvious?" I held my arms out in defeat. I really was that horrible at being the new girl. Typical. 

Jay shook his head slightly, obviously concerned by my reaction. "I have a pretty good grasp on the people here, yet, I've never seen you before," he explained with a shrug, glancing around. “I get around a lot.” 

"Oh," I said, filling the silence with the sound rather than actual words; they seemed to fail me in my moment in continued embarrassment. My attempt to break the quiet, however, failed miserably. A lengthy, awkward pause followed such an attempt, regardless, and I was left to swing my hand aimlessly at my sides. Jay rolled on the balls of his feet, swaying subconsciously with clutched hands at his middle. I clicked my tongue and he scratched the back of his neck. It felt as if someone should say something more, though nothing occurred to me as though I had lost all grasp of the English language itself. 

Suddenly, Jay brightened, if that was even possible in his already bouncy state. He spluttered for a moment, apparently finding difficulty in wording his out-of-the-blue epiphany, arms flapping like an excited bird. "Do you wanna meet my friends?!" He burst as though the extended period of time without speaking was a form of torture. He grinned happily before reeling, concentration obvious on his features as he considered that which he had just asked. "If you have time, of course," he corrected speedily. Everything this guy did was speedy. 

I smiled slightly, having been lost for the past half an hour. I just wanted to go for a little walk to explore the new city, I wasn't exactly in a rush. "Sure," I nodded, once again awkwardly. The boy beamed, grabbing my hand excitedly and pulling me along eagerly. This energy of his reminded me of an over-excited puppy. I stumbled behind him, not a split-second of time to reconsider my choice to socialise and converse with strangers. 

"You are going to love them! Well- maybe." 

* * *

Jay dragged me by the hand, pulling me along with excitement as I trailed behind him. He spoke a million miles an hour, so fast it may as well have been an entirely new language; one I am yet to learn. I nodded my head anyway, more to be polite than anything else. The boy eventually stopped outside a restaurant that seemed to have an arcade included within. He beamed eagerly, bouncing on the tips of his toes once more as he glanced from the different video game machines and then to the food also displayed within. He looked back at me for a moment, as if to ensure I actually wanted to meet them. Immediately, his falter in confidence made my own hope tumble down.  _ Welp, too late to back out now.  _ I pulled a tight smile over my teeth and nodded my head in feeble reassurance. Jay took it in his stride and led me inside happily. 

We rounded to a relatively large booth, in which a group of five sat; all of whom looked to be about my age. Although, the thing that stood out the most was their obvious exhaustion and lack of energy.  _ I really hope I haven’t pulled them from something-  _

“Guys!” Jay grinned, interrupting my increasingly anxious stream of thoughts. He surveyed the group of teenagers proudly as though he had achieved something great. “I have someone for you to meet!” 

Most of them looked up from their phone or small conversations, gaze falling onto me while I shifted nervously. The first to say something was a boy dressed primarily in red. “Oh,” he remarked with a smirk. “You’ve finally made yourself a friend! Score for Jay,” he teased. 

Jay stuck his tongue out at him, resulting in the red-boy doing the same, causing Jay to retaliate. I watched the mini-tennis match unfold with interest. The others also watched the bickering, however it was evident that they had suffered through scenes like this so many times, it had lost its entertainment purposes. The only girl rolled her eyes as Jay and the guy continued before turning to me. “My name is Nya,” she greeted with a warm smile. She held out her hand and I shook it. Her grip was strong and firm, so much so that I had to maintain my own strength for the moment of contact.  _ Damn _ . 

The rest of the group followed Nya’s lead, sitting up to introduce themselves. “I’m Kai,” the guy in red greeted with a two-fingered salute, accompanied by a wink. The smirk then fell back onto his face as though it is his resting expression. From my limited contact with him, it probably was. 

“Greetings, I am Zane,” the boy in white smiled kindly. His presence was ultra-calm and honestly, a little intimidating. Although, at the same time, he held wise, kind eyes that cooled my swirling anxiety a little. 

“That’s Lloyd,” Jay pointed to a boy in green as he stood, being on the outside of the seat. He shook my hand quietly, though with a smile as bright as Jay’s. Lloyd looked up at me with brilliantly blonde hair and I immediately felt myself begin to like him. It took me a moment to make the connection between the name and my knowledge of the city. 

“Wait-” I stopped him with a slightly outstretched arm and guarded hand, vision switching from Jay, to Lloyd, then back to Jay, then back to Lloyd. “As in  _ Lloyd Garmadon _ ?!” I could feel my eyes widen in concern and I subconsciously took a step backwards. 

Lloyd’s smile immediately fell, as did his posture. With downcast eyes, he admitted quietly, “The one and only.” Sticking his hands in his pockets, he hovered as though he would run at any second. 

I tilted my head to the side in confused consideration. “But you seem- too nice to be evil,” I said, stupidly. My brows furrowed as I tried to work my brain around the situation, remembering all that I had heard about him, then comparing it to the seemingly angelic human being who stood before me. 

“That’s because he is,” Kai defended quickly, eyes passionate but careful. I could practically feel him summing me up like an older brother protecting his younger sibling. 

“Don’t believe whatever you have read on social media,” Nya waved the concern off nonchalantly, though she maintained a guarded, sibling-like, energy, having stiffened at my words protectively. “They have no idea what they are talking about.”  _ Maybe they actually were siblings?  _

I nodded slowly, uncertainty still evident, but not as strong as previously. Something about this group, their  _ vibe,  _ just made me want to trust them. I decided to go with my gut and let it go, dismissing the concern. 

“And that’s Cole,” Jay continued as though nothing had occurred, finishing his introductions by gesturing to the guy who was yet to notice me. His eyes were closed and a set of large headphones covered his ears. His head bopped rhythmically to the beat that I presumed flooded through them. Despite not yet speaking to him, I liked him and his vibe immediately. “Cole!” Jay shouted, waving his arms in an attempt to gain his attention. No response ensued so Jay did the obvious next move; flicking off his shoe and throwing it at Cole. The shoe, though not something I would deem to be aerodynamic, headed precisely where Jay intended; Cole’s face. However, at the last second, a hand swiped the shoe from the air. Cole opened his eyes in an annoyed glare directed at Jay, holding the shoe tightly. 

“Just because I can’t hear you, or see you,” he started, oblivious to me standing beside Jay, “doesn’t mean you can throw things at me and I won’t sense them. I’m a  _ ninja  _ Jay!” Cole drawled in frustration, chucking the shoe back at Jay. Jay scrambled out of the way with a slight, smug grin and Zane cleared his throat. Cole’s gaze focussed on me and his eyes went wide as I considered what he meant by ‘ninja’. “Ah, um,” he stuttered. “ _ Like  _ a ninja. Not actually a ninja,” he corrected quickly with an awkward chuckle. I nodded my head in confusion, the reaction striking me as strange. 

A small silence ensued, only filled by Jay and Cole sneering at each other half-jokingly, before I realised I was yet to introduce myself. I coughed in surprise. “Oh! My name is Y/n,” I smiled awkwardly, fixing my mistake as swiftly as possible. They all grinned warmly in return and despite the strange introduction, I liked them all. Their presence reminded me of one, big family, though I had no siblings myself. It was somewhat calming and welcoming. 

“Well,  _ Y/n _ ,” Kai started smugly as he looked my way. He leaned forward on the table with a one-sided smile. “We were just about to start a round of Mario Kart. You in?” He challenged in a way my competitive self could never turn down. Kai gestured to the console and TV behind me upon the restaurant wall.  _ This restaurant is so cool.  _

I felt my eyes go wide and I pulled to the tips of my toes in excitement as I began to find my confidence again. “Who could say no to a round of Mario Kart?” I smiled, heading forward to one of the Switches on the floor of the restaurant. “You’re  _ on, _ ” I grabbed a controller and steadied it in preparation. 

* * *

“I call hacks!” Kai called, throwing his controller down in defeat. The other people also in the restaurant glanced our way annoyedly, not that we paid them any attention. They rolled their eyes at our teenager-ness. “You can’t just win every round!” His growl was angry, though friendly all the same. I laughed, basking in my fourth victory of the afternoon. 

The group’s earlier exhaustion had been all but forgotten, as had my nervousness in meeting these people. It seemed that competitiveness was a common factor amongst us and we were getting along swimmingly. Lloyd was only evil in the sense of throwing an annoying amount of red shells at me, tailing my car the entire time. My gut proved correct, well done gut.

I shrugged, a triumphant smirk making my lips quirk upward, “Then explain how I am winning every round.” I raised an eyebrow to further rub in the defeat, holding up my arms to rest them behind my head. 

Jay gasped dramatically, whipping around to face me. “You’re a robot!” He shouted, pointing an accusing finger at my middle. His eyes were wide in false-horror. 

I snorted at the outrageous suggestion. “ _ Me _ ? A  _ robot _ ? No robot could actually pass as a human being, don’t be stupid.” I waved him off, turning back to the screen as I rolled my eyes. In doing so, I missed the glance Jay and Zane held, a knowing smile on each of their lips. 

“Fine,” Cole said, sitting up determinedly, “let’s go again. I’ll beat you this time.” He rubbed his hands in anticipation, leaning further forward as he pushed the ear of his headphones back. He was getting  _ serious _ . 

“Oh yeah?” I challenged, glancing at him eagerly and only then realising the sheer  _ size _ of him. No matter, he did not intimidate me. “Let’s do this, tough guy-” A notification on Kai’s watch chimed, interrupting Cole and I as we grew more cocky and competitive. I turned my head at the sound of the chime, only for the rest of the group to follow with the same notification on watches of their own; ones I hadn’t noticed before. They all looked down to their wrist, wide-eyed in an expression I couldn’t decipher as they read the announcement

Nya looked up quickly, seemingly having forgotten about my existence momentarily. “Group chat,” she explained shortly before looking back down at her watch in concern. I nodded, not that anyone noticed. Humming to myself, I waited until they had all finished reading the message and kept myself entertained by watching my Mario Kart dance around, celebrating our victory. 

Eventually, Lloyd looked up as he finished reading with apologetic eyes. His forehead was creased guiltily with concern.  _ Like I said, too nice to be evil. _ “Sorry Y/n, we gotta go,” he sighed disappointedly. 

“Oh,” I faltered at the abrupt shortening of our time together, having actually enjoyed our mini-tournament. “That's okay,” I nodded a little too much, disappointment sinking in my stomach. I did my best to maintain a happy expression regardless. 

“We’ll have our rematch another time,” Cole added hopefully, already taking off his headphones and getting up. He smiled a tight, disheartened smile as he continued to pack up. 

I quickly looked at the clock, assuming it to only have been forty-five minutes later than when we started, at most. To my shock, it was far past and I realised how long I had been gone. I jumped, practically choking on my own spit. “Shit!” I cursed, rushing to pick my phone up as the others watched on in confusion at the sudden reaction for seemingly no reason. I found the device in my pocket and fished it out frantically, spamming the power button. Then I remembered it died earlier today. “Oh no, oh no,” I panicked. “My dad is gonna kill me. I am so late.” 

“Everything okay?” Nya asked with a tilted head. Slight amusement dusted her features as I flapped my hands worriedly in my outburst of energised freak-out. 

“I was meant to be back two hours ago!” I explained, yelling loudly and earning another dirty glare from the other people in the restaurant. “I’m so screwed,” I practically sobbed in fear, running a hand through my hair worriedly. 

“Guys, we really gotta go…” Lloyd pointed out, checking his watch again as he beckoned them with his other hand. The others nodded in acknowledgement, understanding that whatever they had been called to, was urgent. 

“Y/n, do you know your way home?” Zane asked carefully, turning to me kindly despite the rush he should have been in. This guy was  _ so calm. _

__ I squirmed at the question, eyes caught in guilt. In a momentary pause, I attempted to replay the steps that led me to this place. A futile attempt however as my horrible sense of direction proved to be consistent. “Not really,” I admitted sheepishly, embarrassed at my own stupidity. 

“You guys go ahead,” Zane said, glancing away from me to speak to the rest of the group. Even though I was pulling him away from something important, he seemed very chill regarding the matter. Then again, he was chill regarding everything. “I will meet you there,” he explained with a knowing nod. My stomach twinged in response to the sentence, though I was unsure as to exactly why.  _ These people seemed like good people, they probably weren’t off to do something evil. Oh god, what if they are off to do something evil? I can’t-  _

“Okay, meet you there,” Cole repeated with a firm nod of his head, the others repeated similar acknowledgements of agreement before bidding a quick goodbye in the form of a wave, or (in Jay’s case) a hug. Then, they rushed away, time obviously pressing upon them, hence the urgency. 

Upon their departure, Zane and I also left the restaurant. He led me outside and to the car I presumed was his. I climbed in, following his movements. I gave my address—the one thing I did remember in this new city (luckily)—and we started down the road. Neither of us broke the silence and though it was not exactly an uncomfortable quiet, it seemed to eat at me all the same. I felt as if I should say something, start a small conversation or even just give thanks for him risking being late for me. I was guilty he was having to miss out on whatever thing the group was called to and he had so kindly given up his time and energy to drive my stupidly-forgetful self home. The internal battle of ‘say something’ vs ‘do not say something it will be weird’ raged on inside my head until we turned into a street I finally recognised, ending the mini-war altogether. 

It only then occurred to me that Zane had not used a GPS, and instead driven from memory, or with a perfect sense of direction. I glanced around the car to reassure myself that there really was no device directing him, and I seemed to be right. I might have commented on such, had he not spoken first as he stopped out the front of my new house. After pulling into the small driveway, he turned to face me in the car. 

“Here you are, this is your house. Correct?” He asked, smiling another small, kind smile while asking in his ever-stoic manner. 

I nodded stiffly and quickly, a tight and guilty smile on my lips awkwardly. A beat of a pause began, but I found myself opening my mouth and blurting my apology before he could say anything else. “Sorry!” I cried out, rushed and frantic in my nervousness. 

Zane tilted his head to the side in confusion, surveying my face with his careful, ice-blue eyes. “Whatever for?” He questioned confusedly, hand rested upon the steering wheel while he looked at me. 

I stumbled over my words guiltily. “For, um, y’know,” I scratched the back of my neck, embarrassed. I looked down, not making eye contact as though it would make me seem less stupid. “For making you miss your thing with the others...” I said, almost trailing off at the end. 

Zane shook his head with a light, warm smile, “It is okay. They will be fine without me...” He considered that which he had just said for a moment, deep in thought, before his face morphed into a more panicked expression of wide eyes and a slightly agape mouth. “But maybe I shouldn’t leave them for too long,” he fixed. I couldn’t tell if he was joking or not. 

Either way, I laughed, shaking my head in exasperation, despite only knowing the group for a few hours. I unclipped my seatbelt and exited the vehicle. Once out, and certain I had my possessions with me, I ducked my head back into the car. “Thank you,” I grinned, feeling my eyes crease in gratitude. 

Zane shrugged benevolently, that same warm smile still upon his lips and lighting up his eyes. “Of course Y/n, that is what friends do.” I felt my own grin widen further at the words. “See you at school,” he said happily, pulling out of the driveway as I backed from the car. I waved as he exited the street then turned back toward my house. 

Stopping to think, I realised we  _ would  _ be going to the same school, there being only one in all of Ninjago City. Between our screams and yells during Mario Kart, we had discussed our ages, and we were all in senior year. We did not get into the conversation regarding school just yet, I was glad Zane mentioned it then. _ I wouldn’t be totally alone! Score! _

I sighed happily, leisurely strolling up to my new house, still yet to be unpacked. Despite the fact that I would most definitely have an angry father waiting for me inside said house, I could not find it in myself to be sad. A spark of hope ignited in my belly and I could feel it flicker its warmth throughout my body, delightedly spreading the feeling of joy. Maybe, just maybe, this whole ‘new girl’ thing wouldn’t be as bad as I first anticipated. 


	4. Chapter Three

Morro straightened his back and tilted his head to the side, furthering the movement with the force of his hand until satisfying pops and cracks released him of the built up tension that resided in his neck. He wasn’t exactly used to this mortal body, it having more aches than he remembered from his previous—though short lived—life. Regardless, he was doing his best to stabalise his movements. Running a hand through his noticeably greasy hair, Morro heaved a sigh for what felt like the millionth time that hour. 

The shack that was his current living quarters creaked yet again, he paid it no attention. His head was bowed over the paper he scribbled upon, frustration curling his fist on the desk while the other gripped his pen with unnecessary force. Soon, Morro sat back and read over the text, holding the paper up with eyes squinted in frustration. Despite having only having just written the plan himself, revising it to suit the unexpected additions of ninja, he cringed at the mere thought of acting on such a seemingly ridiculous idea. 

“Shit,” he cursed, throwing the pen down, allowing it to clatter with a dull thud onto the table. Morro did not want to go through with such a plan, it required far more work than he had first desired and anticipated, but it was what he had to do, should he wish to gain his revenge. “It’s all to get Wu and those pesky ninja,” the boy muttered angrily in an attempt to convince himself the positives would outweigh the negatives. His brain clicked with a second thought and he rolled his eyes. “And the Preeminent,” he sighed tiredly, reminding himself that his actual mission also held some importance, though it was not personal. He groaned, rolling his head backwards then following with his shoulders. 

The paper that contained his revised plan seemed to glare up at him smugly, as if it were personifying itself and already knew Morro would have to concede. He dragged a hand down his face in annoyance, brain working fast for a better solution, though none came to him. This was the best, safest option. It was the one that held the best percentage of success, he knew it. Hours of thinking and searching for a different solution was yet to contradict it. The ninja he fought those few days ago, though with remarkably matured technique, argued and bickered like the children he expected they were- like  _ he, himself  _ was. And if he knew Wu… Morro was right, he could sense he was, yet this was the one time he would have preferred to be incorrect. 

“Fine!” He cried aloud after the internalised battle, the instant gratification desire that worked within him losing to the smarter side; the one he was required to listen to if he wanted to achieve his overall goal. Reaching over to the side of the little desk, also questionably stable, he violently picked up the phone he may or may not have bought. Another growl threatened to tear from his throat, but he contained it, swallowing thickly for good measure. Morro popped each of his knuckles again, attempting to compose himself before the dreaded moment that would start it all. 

Slowly, he dialled the number with shaking fingers, regret-filled creases lining his forehead. A voice picked up; a woman’s voice. She spoke for a moment, introducing her place of employment and then herself, Morro already knew it all and was only barely listening. She eventually stopped, allowing him to speak. 

“Hello,” Morro spoke with a voice that was sickly sweet, lathering the falsely happy words with extra emotion. “Yes, I would like to enrol a last minute student to Ninjago Highschool.” 

A series of questions and complaints followed, none of which he listened to. The former ghost assumed they were primarily lectures on how late the proposed enrolment was, and that it was still summer and he was lucky she was even in today. Morro rolled his eyes, nodding his head rhythmically side-to-side in silent ridicule as he waited for the only words he was required to hear. The voice continued until those wanted words clicked. Finishing the call as fast as possible, he slammed it down on the table. It was drawn to a painstakingly slow close. Morro groaned again and slumped into his chair, covering his face with his hands despite his accomplishment. 

Morro was going to have to attend high school. 

* * *

“I have a proposition!” Jay exclaimed loudly, running for the main quarters in which the other’s currently sat, the weekend before school began. He puffed and caught his breath for a moment, allowing himself a small pause before raising a finger to the roof confidently. Everyone looked up in acknowledgement of the sudden entrance. 

Cole shook his head with a sigh. He already knew what the blue ninja was going to say, having attempted to talk Jay out of the following rant earlier that day. “I swear, if we get extra training because of you-” 

“What is it, Jay?” Sensei Wu interrupted quizzically, an eyebrow raised as he held a mug at his lips, eyes surveying the lightning ninja in interest. He sipped his tea quietly. 

“I- I have a proposition,” Jay repeated, a little less certain of the words under the stern gaze of the master. His feet shuffled over the floor and his hands twiddled nervously. 

Nya smiled at his nervousness, “You gonna say it anytime soon?” She marked the page of her book and closed it shut, prepared for the show. 

“I’m getting to it!” Jay defended before clearing his throat loudly. “Sensei,” he began, turning to the old man with a reclaimed posture. “I think we should not have to attend school any longer. We are already seniors, and the last year doesn’t  _ really  _ matter. AND!” He shouted, realising relatively quickly that he was losing his audience. “We are ninja and not having to go to school would give us more time to do… ninja stuff?” The end of the ninja’s mini-speech turned out to be more of a question than a statement. Jay finished with a look of pride, watching the others as if he was expecting an applause. One that never came. 

“Do you all agree with Jay?” The Sensei asked after leaving the silence to sit for a moment, eyes glancing to the rest of the group who watched cautiously. Though the question was seemingly harmless, something rang dangerous in his voice. 

“I never thought I’d say this, but I agree with Jay!” Kai burst, sitting up straighter. Jay brightened and gestured to Kai like he was a good source of confirmation. 

Nya scoffed, sending her brother a quizzical look. “You’re just trying to get out of school,” she noted, pointing her finger at him. 

Kai shrugged shamelessly, “Isn’t that kinda the point?” 

“No!” Jay cried, shaking his head so violently it could have toppled off his neck. “The point is getting more ninja work done and becoming better ninja! To… protect Ninjago City and all that,” he said, waving off the end of the sentence as though having the responsibility of maintaining an entire city was not as vital as relieving themselves of school. 

Sensei Wu nodded his understanding, face unreadable- as always. 

“Yeah,” Lloyd started tentatively, speaking up also. “School is judgy, pretty, judgy,” the boy dragged out, eyes downcast. 

“I understand that being renowned as Lord Garmadon’s son may be difficult, Lloyd, when attending highschool,” Sensei Wu agreed. Cole glanced up in hope, eyes wide.  _ Was Jay’s idea actually going to work?!  _ “But I believe school to be a necessary requirement. You are going to school, there is no argument to be had. That is all,” the man finished. 

A collective groan sounded throughout the room. Kai threw his hands down in defeat and Jay practically dropped to the floor in disappointment. “Come  _ on  _ Sensei!” Jay whined in objection. “What about improving all our ninja skills?!” 

“If you wish to improve your ‘ninja skills’, as you phrase it, then I am sure some more dawn-training will be fitting. All of next week, before school, 4:30am,” the Sensei said, and not another word more despite the second round of groans and whines that followed his orders. He walked past Jay, who remained in the doorway and made his way out of the room. Jay watched the man leave with pleading eyes, turning in defeat. 

Cole looked up in annoyance. “I told you it wouldn’t work. I told you we would get extra training. Look where we are now! You should have listened to me!” 

Lloyd slumped in his seat. “One more year,” he muttered under his breath to himself. He nodded his head slowly, eyes squeezed tight in hope. “One more year, you are almost there. You can get through this, Lloyd.” 

Kai sighed sadly. “We are never getting out of school. This is it, hell begins. Again.” He groaned yet again, falling backwards and slapping his arm over his eyes. 

“Surely it will not be that bad,” Zane reasoned, shaking his head at each of their over-dramatic responses. He for one, enjoyed some aspects of school. Of course, he already knew all of the content. The nindroid preferred to watch how teenagers interacted with each other, making a game out of determining their motives for their reckless and quite frankly, moronic decisions. 

“Yeah, and now we have Y/n,” Nya pointed out happily. She nudged Kai with her foot lightly, just to piss him off. He swatted her off, as well as her reasonable point of view, neither were welcomed in his moment of drama. 

“Wonderful,” Lloyd dead-panned, throwing his arms into the air sarcastically. “I can ruin her highschool experience too.” 

“Well guys,” Jay cried, “we tried… and we failed.” He trotted towards the couch dismally, allowing himself to fall and face-plant into the cushions. His body rolled defeatedly and the boy sobbed into pillows dramatically, “We still have to go to school.” 

* * *

I had moved to Ninjago City a mere two weeks ago, knowing no one or anything about the place. Pretty soon however, I learnt all about its... unfortunate history with villains. I'd been on Twitter and learnt that Lloyd Garmadon was just as evil as his father. I was also prepared to go to school and survive merely through hiding in the shadows and eating lunch in the corner like my socially anxious self.

This all changed however, when I bumped into Jay… quite literally; neither of us being especially good at noticing those around us. Jay introduced me to his friends, who just so happened to include the one and only Lloyd Garmadon. Turns out, the only word that could be used to describe him was 'dork'. Not an evil bone in the boy that I had seen thus far. When I mentioned I was going to start attending Ninjago High, Jay claimed me as his new best friend on the spot and the others went with it quite easily. Based upon their reactions to everything so far, Jay must have been like this all the time. It is indeed a feat, keeping up with him the entire time. 

I spent the last week before school learning more truthful things about the city as the others did their best to prepare me for what can be put nicely as hell. Or school. I think the two could be considered synonymous.

I also learnt much about the Ninja. The mysterious, unidentified saviours of the city who were super still badass. If anything my conversations with the others had only heightened this opinion, them all speaking very highly of the squad. Each had a favourite who, coincidentally, wore the same colour they did. 

That brings us to here, the first and dreaded day of school in this new place.

Stumbling, I cursed my own stupidity. Kai smirked at my mutters, catching my arm with his ever-quick reactions before I could face-plant in front of the school. What an entrance that would be. "At least last till' first period before making a fool of yourself, Y/n," I demanded of myself, though the likelihood of such a plan occurring was slim-to-none. 

"C'mon Y/n!" Jay exclaimed, buzzing with excitement I couldn't for the life of me even attempt to match. "It's a fresh start!" He grinned, bounding along on the walk- practically skipping. Sure, a new school may have been a fresh start, but a fresh start does not mean much when you are a total klutz wherever you go. It won't be long until these kids treat me how everyone does. 

I voiced such thoughts, though Cole disagreed. "You just need to get used to the kids there, they aren't that bad," he said, dismissing my concerns with a wave of his hand. Lloyd coughed into his hand, raising an eyebrow behind his fist. Cole caught the glance and fixed his response. "Okay," he started slowly in an uncertain tone, always a good sign, shaking his voice sing-songedly. "They are pretty bad- but!" He threw a hopeful hand up, as if that could resolve my increasing panic, "Lloyd is the son of the most hated being in all of Ninjago." He said the point as if that solved all of my issues and would make my anxiety disappear, which it did not. Lloyd seemed to agree with me though he did not directly say so. I was able to understand so much as he stomped hard on Cole's foot. I waited for Cole to go on, hopeful that there would be a good point somewhere amongst his reasoning that had only forced my fears to increase, but it seemed to be the end of the point. "And, that's all I got," Cole added hopelessly, hobbling on his sore toes. The group sighed exasperatedly. 

"That's the comfort?" Nya remarked dryly, shaking her head in disappointment. 

Cole opened his mouth widely in false offense before attempting to defend himself. "Listen, I am trying to make bullies out to be good, it isn't exactly easy," he argued sassily. He knocked Nya with his shoulder lightly to emphasise his point. Nya shoved him back, leaving out the 'lightly' and causing Cole to stumble, laughing. "Okay, okay," he turned to me dramatically. "Y/n, everything is going to be fine. You got us!" He smiled, pointing to himself brightly. 

"In other words," Kai started with a drawl, "you are totally screwed." He kicked a rock on the gravel and watched it tumble feebly. I couldn’t help but watch the rock in interest, relating to its pathetic halt with lack of momentum a little too much. 

" _ Kai _ !" Jay cried with a pitched voice, throwing his hands in the air in shock. His eyes were wide and outraged. "We are trying to  _ comfort _ Y/n!" 

Kai shrugged, ever the bringer of truth. He seemed to lack the same level of optimism Cole had, or even half the level of optimism Cole had. "She is going to a new school, entering with  _ Lloyd _ . Not to mention us. I'm not going to soften her into thinking it'll be easy." I turned to him worriedly, though appreciating the honesty, I felt a surge of further anxiety crash upon me. 

Zane pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "You are all terrible at this," he sighed, squeezing his eyes tightly and breathing deeply. His forced exhale proved the point. The boy put a gentle, cold hand on my shoulder. "Things are not as bad as specific people are making them out to be," Zane said, glaring at Cole and Kai. "School is very interesting, but besides that, you have us and being in a group of people will make the overall experience of settling in to a new school far easier. Fear not Y/n, you shall be okay." 

I relaxed slightly under the kind words and smiled up into Zane’s strangely warm—though icy blue—eyes, "Thanks Zane, maybe this won't be so bad." 

"That's the spirit!" Jay yelled, pumping his fist into the air in triumph as though it was an achievement. I rolled my eyes, as did Nya and Kai. The siblings shared their typical sibling glance and I noted with interest, still becoming accustomed to the dynamic this group of friends had.

With Kai still holding my shoulder in fear I would trip again—a fair assumption—we entered the school grounds. Stares were abundant, though I was unsure if they were directed at me or my 'evil' friend. Either way, the others did their best to ignore such glares and offhand remarks as we walked forward. I had to admire the carefree attitude each of them managed to maintain, not even glancing at those who whispered behind us. Were it not for the way Kai clenched his fists or the strained muscles in Cole’s necks, I would not have been able to tell they heard the snide comments. I, however, seemed to make nervous eye-contact with every person who looked my way. I was yet to accomplish such a strong poker face. 

Eventually, we reached the lockers, a safe-haven… almost. To put it lightly, there were less eyes drilling holes into my back. It was something, I guess. Drinking in the momentary relaxation, I turned to the rest of my group and zoned in on the conversation I only just realised was occurring. 

“...Y/n needs to get her things from the front office,” Zane said, my name clicking my attention and dialing it back in. 

“Hm? Oh, yeah,” I agreed lamely, not at all looking forward to re-entering the sea of judgemental eyes that awaited me. In nervous anticipation, I wrung my hands together and swung on the balls of my feet. I fiddled with my fingers absentmindedly and raised myself to watch the students who glanced ‘subtly’ my way in response. 

Kai must have noticed my dislike towards the idea, because he piped up from his silence, fists clenched as he too watched the students. “I can help her get her things,” Kai nodded. I smiled gratefully in return. 

Lloyd also acknowledged an acceptance of the role, “Yeah, I’ll go too.” 

“Sounds good,” Jay agreed with a tight grin as he glanced from the group of people to Lloyd then me. He too had picked up on the stares we were receiving and though it was clear he had been subjected to this before, the sting of being judged constantly never faded wholly. 

“Okay, meet at the cafeteria for lunch,” Cole concurred before splitting from the group, his own errands to run before the first period. Jay, Nya and Zane also divided, each with their own tasks to complete. I watched them go for a moment, suddenly feeling slightly-less protected from the other students. I shook the negativity from my head and turned to Kai and Lloyd with a wider smile than natural, nodding. They each returned the expression, though neither held grins that reached their eyes either. 

Lloyd led me to the front office where I was required to obtain my schedule. I glanced around unsurely, taking it all in and doing my best to remember each of the hallways in an attempt to avoid being lost, though that was a practically unattainable goal. Reaching the front office, my gaze finding other students, many of whom returned it unkindly. Although, my eyes found one person in particular stand out. He stood in a nonchalant stance, leaned against the wall with his hands in his pockets and hoodie half-covering the back of his head. His eyes observed silently and his mouth turned down at the corners. His presence was dark and mysterious. Even the glint in his eyes shining from within his swirling pools of a dark green struck me as peculiar also. As a whole, this boy held a very odd vibe, but I was kinda here for it. 

As subtle as possible, I nudged Kai's shoulder and nodded my head at the brooding boy I was yet to fully sum up in my mind. Kai turned at the contact, jumping slightly as he was apparently in thought. His eyes followed mine to catch a glance of the guy. Kai turned back to me before shrugging with a confused expression. "Never seen him," he muttered, voice barely catching in my ears. 

Lloyd saw him too. He furrowed his brow in thought. "He must be new too," the blonde frowned strangely. I leaned toward him to say more, but a woman speaking broke the tension that had slowly built in the pit of my stomach. 

“Morro?” The woman called. I snapped my head up at what I deemed to be an unusual name, only slightly surprised when the guy also looked up. ‘Morro’ raised his head, face still poised and expressionless, in response. He walked toward the counter he was called to with a slight swagger about him, almost cockily. “Do you understand how late this enrollment is?” The office-lady lectured, shaking her head condescendingly. 

Morro held a hint of an eye-roll. “Yes,” he drawled in apparent annoyance. 

“I’m not exactly sure how you managed to get the school to accept you,” she tsked, typing something into her giant computer. Despite the action, she did not fail to stare him down with scary eyes. Not that Morro was phased in the slightest. 

“I’m eighteen,” he answered shortly. 

The woman did not say anything further, as if his age was an acceptable excuse, though it did not sound to be. Morro continued to answer with the least amount of words possible with each of her questions. The woman interrogated him and my hearing dipped in and out of the conversation as I continued to watch Morro. His stance was strange, almost intimidating. The way his eyes remained perfectly- 

My name was called, causing me to jump into consciousnesses. Another, equally angry-looking, woman glared at me from a desk further into the office. I smiled sheepishly, tucking a stray hair behind my ear with a nervous laugh before stepping forward to collect my things from the woman at the front desk. Something about him intrigued me, from the way he leaned against the wall to the impossibly fast pace his eyes surveyed the room. Even the green streak that lined through his shock of black hair held my gaze. I received my equipment but my feet didn't move from the spot they had now claimed as theirs apparently. My legs felt heavy and my feet didn't budge, neither did my eyes. I was totally staring. 

Kai noticed such a stare and chuckled as the office-lady glared at me for holding up the growing line of people who also needed things. He tugged on my arm and I stumbled, breaking all forces that had previously held me in place. My eyes were wide, like they were in some sort of trance then clicked awake. Lloyd smirked, both of them picking up on my foolishness with insane observation skills. They said nothing however, walking me out the door and through the hallway to the lockers from which we had split before. Kai opened his mouth with a smug grin, no doubt about to comment on my behaviour. 

“Don’t even think about it.”

* * *

At lunch, me having struggled to keep up in period one and two, we met back up at a table towards the door. I collapsed into my seat, coming from Math with Jay. Needless to say, my brain was barely functioning after such an intense first lesson. Jay however, had understood it all perfectly. I never picked him to be such an engineer, though the moment he began to work out equations after equation, the match made more sense than ever before. 

Everyone else was already there and they looked up when we sat. Jay smiled his bright, ever-bubbly smile while I mustered up my lips to curl half-way upward, that was the best I could manage at the current moment. Jay sat next to Nya—I was almost certain something was going on between the two of them--and I found myself between Kai and Lloyd. When we had organised ourselves, Nya leant forward. "Did you see the new kid?" 

To say that my brain snapped awake, as well as my eyes, would be an understatement. 

"Who? Me?" I asked, only half joking. I avoided the smile Kai and Lloyd sent my way, playing with a loose strand of hair and finding great interest in it.  _ I didn’t know my hair was that colour too-  _

Nya snorted, waving me off. She either didn’t notice my strange behaviour or was interested in delving deeper, finding the source for such. "No, him," she grinned. The girl pointed to the same guy we saw this morning.  _ Morro.  _ He sat by himself, barely visible amongst the crowds of shouting, smiling, laughing, some crying (mood) people. His face wore the same expression as before; dark and heavy. I felt myself begin to stare again and almost had to force my head to tilt away with my hands. 

"I think Y/n did more than see him," Kai eyed me smugly, lips curled upwards in a smirk I wanted to slap off his face. 

I gasped at the comment, shaking my head violently and snapping myself out of the small trance, "Not true!" 

"Well," Lloyd started, voice pitching high to prove the point. His eyes were squinted and his beam was barely hidden.  _ Betrayal.  _

Zane smiled his falsely innocent smile at my reaction, while Jay and Cole shared their own smug look; eyebrows raised and eyes shining. Nya straight up grinned like an idiot at me. She glanced from me, to Morro, then back to me, swapping between the two sights overdramatically. "I guess I could picture it," she shrugged, finally. 

I sighed, "You are organising a relationship for me, someone you do not know, with someone you haven't even met. Let alone the fact that I haven't even finished one day of school." My fingers squeezed my temples before dragging down my face in exasperation as I attempted to process the conversation. 

They all quirked their shoulders in a form of shrug, "Welcome to having chaotic friends." 

I laughed and Nya leant forward on her elbows, propping herself up excitedly after being momentarily distracted by our discussion-within-a-discussion. "As I was  _ saying _ , the new kid. His name is Morro. People say he moved from Jumanakai Village, but I don't exactly buy it..." she hummed. The way she told us the information, especially her last sentence, struck me as strange.  _ Who was Nya to understand the background of people?  _ I brushed the thought off after a moment however _ , maybe the source was questionable? _ Nya continued through my mini-analysis of her words, "Either way, he is super broody and hasn't spoken to anyone yet. No one." 

That wasn’t totally correct, considering he had spoken to the scary office-lady, though I doubted that counted. I nodded rhythmically, continuing to steal glances at Morro. He didn't seem to notice our group despite us all shamelessly staring at him. 

Jay raised a hand and Nya tapped him on the shoulder in acknowledgement. "And how do you know all this?" He asked, head tilted like a confused puppy, though his tone read as more skeptical than confused. 

Nya smiled slyly, "I have my ways." She kept the gaze for a moment, looking into the distance in a dramatic pause. We all waited for the explanation semi-awkwardly before she gave up the stance to answer the question. "Okay, girl's bathroom gossip. Y/n isn't the only one who has an eye on him." 

My shoulders sagged at the comment, an inward groan causing my eyes to roll back. "I don't have my eye on him," I responded tiredly despite the way I found my lips upturned. Though as if to contradict the words I had just uttered, my eyes found their way back to Morro and I was back in that weird trance, struggling to break their fixed look. 

Cole cocked his head to the side with an amused smirk. "You literally haven't taken your eyes off him,” he remarked in a pointed head nod. 

I turned around to smack him on the arm. Not as if it did anything though, the guy was practically rock solid. "No!" My voice was more indignant than I would have liked. 

Cole held his hands out in defence, smirk still upon his smug face as his eyes flicked from me to Morro questioningly. "Okay, okay," he said carefully, totally not buying a single word of anything that I had said. In all honesty, even  _ I  _ was struggling to buy what I had said. 

Lloyd was also watching Morro carefully. The blonde was relatively quiet throughout the discussion, not that I was complaining-the less people deciding my ship name with a stranger the better-though I was unsure why Morro held his interest so. His expression was less of curiosity and more of suspicion as he continued to watch the mysterious boy with careful eyes. Lloyd did not mention anything about what was troubling him, if anything was, so I discarded the strange look, forgetting it to continue my lunch and attempt to change our conversation topic (a futile attempt, really).

I continued to do my best to brush off the glares and snide comments that would occasionally reach my ears during the period. I couldn’t bring myself to care too much however, because at that moment, I had friends. I had a  _ place.  _ It was a nice feeling. 


	5. Chapter Four

The rest of the day passed similarly to its beginning. I had class, was confused, did my best to not look confused, then exited as swiftly as possible. All the while being acutely aware of the stares that followed my every move. I rushed back into the cafeteria for break and upon seeing my new-found friends, instantly felt a little more at ease. Their confidence when ignoring the dicks at this school made me feel significantly safer-like they were my own protectors or something like that. Jay lit up as I sat down and though I could not muster the same enthusiasm nor half-as-bright a smile, I did my best with a thumbs up. He shrugged in acceptance, as though to tell me, ‘I’ll take it.’

I fell into my common seat beside Cole on the edge of the chair that ran parallel to the table. The group bid their greetings and watched in amusement as I slumped my head onto the table, rolling down in defeat. 

“Rough period?” Cole asked lightly, doing little to hide his amused grin. He nudged the arm upon which my head rested with his elbow. 

“One way to phrase it,” I groaned, propping myself up on my elbows to massage my temples. “My brain is fried.” 

“What did you have?” Jay queried, interested. It took me a moment to realise he had asked a question, and then even longer to comprehend a response in English to be understood. It felt as though my mind was switched off, and it was only the first day of school…  _ I was so screwed _ . 

“Oh! Science,” I muttered, attempting to snap myself into a state of at least half-consciousness. It was unsuccessful. The others nodded their head in sympathy, evidently aware that science was difficult. 

Comforting, considering they all seemed to be far more intelligent than me. To reiterate: I was so screwed. 

They conversed amongst themselves and though I really did try to be interested and involved in the conversation, I failed hopelessly. Eventually, it died out and I took the momentary silence as an opportunity to rest my eyes for a few minutes. I leant my head into the crook of my elbow and loosened my shoulders onto the table. 

Except, it was more than a few minutes of rest. I awoke at the sound of an ear- piercing alarm… the school bell. I snapped my head up; almost hitting Cole in the process. He jumped back surprisingly quickly and shook his head in exasperated amusement. I looked around groggily, hardly aware of anything that was going on around me. I blinked quickly, shaking my head in an attempt to wake myself up. 

“...earth to Y/n?” I heard and only just noticed the hand that waved in front of my eyes. Jay’s bright eyes found mine and twinkled mischievously. “You fell asleep,” he explained after recognising my very confused expression.

“And you didn’t wake me?” I sighed, dragging a tired hand down my face as I stood from my seat and began to make my way from the cafeteria with the others. _I missed the whole of lunch, shit._

“Seemed like you needed the rest,” Nya shrugged as she sped up to walk in front of the rest of us alongside Jay. I couldn’t really argue with that answer, so I let it go after kicking myself and my own stupidity again. Together, the group walked onwards and began to navigate amongst the numerous (confusing) halls. People began to split from us, finding their own classes as we continued to walk. Eventually, the group shrank significantly to it just being Kai and I. I checked my timetable for the millionth time, and gave up attempting to read it by myself. I was lost, then again, when was I not? 

“Hey Kai,” I started confusedly. He hummed in response, alerting me of his listening ears. “Where is room… E18?” I read off the timetable, holding the paper close to my eyes before glancing up at him in hopes of an answer that would guide me to the classroom. I had been lost more times than I would have liked to be today already, I didn’t need to have additions to the list. 

Kai brightened, turning to face me with a wide smile. “You’re in room E18 fifth?!” I nodded unsurely, slightly worried by his expression.  _ Oh god, what if this is another horrible, difficult class where-  _ “Wonderful!” The red-clad teenager smiled, interrupting my increasingly anxious stream of thought. He clicked his fingers excitedly, “That means we have English together!” 

I smiled also, actually finding unexpected comfort in the news, “Really?” I checked the timetable again and was pleasantly surprised by the fact that I did indeed have English for my fifth period in classroom E18. 

“Yeah! C’mon, this way,” Kai grinned again, guiding me happily with a slight, Jay-like bounce as he made his way through the many corridors packed with students. I trailed behind him with concentration, carefully making each step as to not trip amongst the crowds of people (most of whom had already made their dislike for me abundantly clear) as well as to prevent getting lost. If I lost Kai, I was a goner. 

We entered the classroom to find it only mildly filled with students who lazed in their chairs or leaned against the walls. I continued to follow Kai as he placed himself toward the back of the classroom and I seated myself beside him. We both collapsed into our seats and the teacher up the front was evidently waiting for more students, so I took the moment to quietly observe the kids I would be stuck with for the next year. For the most part they looked chill- I mean- as chill as highschool students could get.

Kai had a similar idea also, apparently, though his observing had taken to one girl in particular. She had red hair pulled into a ponytail and sat in front of us. She stared straight ahead though a slight smirk was upon her red lips. Kai watched her for a few moments. Although, unlike my anxious, insecure little self however, he just started a conversation with her. The girl turned around and they began conversing in what I could only assume to be some form of banter or flirting. Kai was seemingly very interested in her, and she was clearly amused by such interest. I believe red-head already knew him, considering the lack of sneer that met him upon catching her attention. I smiled to myself, enjoying watching him grow slightly nervous as she countered one of his statements. 

Then another person walked in who stole my interest from the two; Morro. The enjoyment and relaxation I had gained via watching Kai become increasingly flustered by his failed attempts at impressing the girl in front of us, left my face in a second. They were replaced by another of those strange, trance-eque modes where I struggled to bring my eyes from Morro as they followed him entering the room and taking a seat… beside me. He either didn’t notice me or didn’t care, but when he drew closer it was enough motivation for me to shift my gaze before he caught me staring. I felt my cheeks heat up and I squirmed in my seat, acutely aware of the person who was now situated directly beside me and at my right. I forced my eyes forward and prayed to the first spinjitzu master that class would start soon. That way I would have a more motivating reason to stop staring and entirely snap myself from the urge to let my eyes drift back to Morro. I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why this boy in particular was so interesting to me. He was just another normal kid like the rest of us. And yet, here I was, staring like he was a ghost or the devil or some shit. 

Eventually, our teacher did begin before I could continue my mini-crisis where I questioned the existence of myself and the boy on my right. He finally stood from behind his desk and made his way to the centre of the room, examining us with an indecipherable expression from behind his gold-framed glasses. For some reason, I immediately like him. He gave off that, ‘cool but strict but nice’ teacher vibe, and I was totally here for it. He was relatively young, no older than early-thirties, and stood with a certain casualness about him. His hair was dark and curly and slightly flopped over his forehead. He held a marker between his fingers and flicked it over his hand, twirling it half-mindedly while he did a full 360 degree rotation on the spot and made intimidating eye contact with every student in the class. When his eyes, dark and evidently intelligent, reached mine, I squirmed and subverted my gaze almost immediately. 

After the slightly-awkward silence every student in the class somehow remained quiet throughout, each of us too captured by the strange teacher, he spoke. His voice was loud and assertive, though had a soft edge to it- somewhat comforting. “My name is Mr Brunner,” he announced, striding back to the front of the room where he continued to watch us all. He tapped one of his feet on the ground in a musical-like rhythm for a second before swiftly turning towards the board. 

At that moment I leant toward Kai on my left. “Have you had him before?” I whispered when Kai tilted toward me also. 

Kai looked up as though he was attempting to remember, before coming back to me. “I think he’s new, I’ve never seen him before and don’t remember hearing about him either.” I nodded my understanding before looking back up to the board. 

Mr Brunner was writing something, and it took me a moment to read his writing as he continued the letters. “Romeo and Juliet,” he dictated loudly before I could comprehend eachtge words. “The Shakespearean play we all know and may-or-may-not despise, depending on who you are and your relationship with it. Not to mention Shakespeare as a whole,” he shrugged nonchalantly. He faced the class once more and his eyes lit up with an excited gleam, “Who can tell me about this play?” 

A hand shot up from the front of the class. “It was written in the early 1590’s, suspected to be 1595,” someone said eagerly. I immediately got a know-it-all vibe from them and made a mental note to steer clear of the potentially condescending conversations I would find myself in later with them. 

Mr Brunner nodded with a small smirk. “Yes,” he said slowly, voice pitching in that typical teacher manner to demonstrate that isn’t the answer he wanted. “But I am asking more about the play, the characters, the  _ story, _ ” he urged with excitement, shaking his hands as though to eventuate the point. 

Shockingly, I found my own hand raise. “It’s about love,” I said shortly, too nervous to say anything in addition. Mr Brunner however, nodded his head with a smile, urging me to continue. “Um, it um- it shows how love and relationships with others drive us to do things we might not do otherwise…” I trailed off, scared to see how wrong I was. 

It was pleasantly surprising then, to see the English teacher grin widely. “Wonderful!” He exclaimed, turning quickly to the board and flicking the marker up dramatically. 

‘L O V E’ he wrote in large block letters under the ‘Romeo and Juliet’ title. 

“It’s about love, young love, dumb love,  _ love,”  _ he practically shouted, very clearly invested in the play. “Now, obviously, there are more driving factors, as you will find. Masculinity, honour, pride, etc,” he listed off by ticking a finger each time a point was mentioned. “But one of, if not  _ the _ primary, most complex and evident themes in this play is indeed love. I mean, when you think of Romeo and Juliet, love is one of the first things that pops into your head. This is due to the fact that it has been referenced as such for hundreds of years! Essentially, we have been conditioned to relate the two, and for good reason.” Mr Brunner’s eyes shone when he said the mini-rant, and I couldn’t help but appreciate his adoration of the topic. He surveyed the class with his eyes once more, peering at us from behind his glasses, “Now, who here has actually  _ read _ Romeo and Juliet?” 

Timidly, I put my hand up. I raised it carefully, shocked to see that Kai was also raising his hand- and he was the only other person to have read the play in the entire class. I glanced at Kai with a slightly tilted head and he looked back at me with a smirk. “What can I say?” He said softly with a shrug. “I like romance.” My mind immediately jumped to the girl with red hair who sat I front of us, as did my eyes. Kai must have caught the look because his grin only grew more smug. 

Mr Brunner grinned at the two of us, being the only two to have read it in the class. He turned to Kai first. “So, good sir, what is your name?” 

Kai focussed his attention on the teacher and lowered his hand while I did the same. “Kai,” he said without hesitation. 

“Well, Kai, I’m sure you can agree that love is indeed a major part of the book, but would you say that it is the  _ driving theme  _ of the play?” 

Kai rubbed his chin and scrunched his forehead in thought, taking the question seriously to Mr Brunner’s delight and amusement. “No,” he eventually said, and I flicked my head to him in shock. The boy reconsidered for a moment, but eventually nodded his head firmly. “No,” he repeated with more confidence this time. “No, I don’t think it is.” 

“I see,” Mr Brunner said seriously before turning to me. He looked as though he was going to make further comments, but didn’t. Instead, he faced me. “What is your name?” 

“Y/n,” I stuttered nervously, feeling caught in the spot as if I wasn’t expecting him to ask me questions next. 

“Y/n, you seemed to disagree with Kai,” Mr Brunner started. “So would you say that love  _ is  _ the driving theme of the play?” 

I opened my mouth to answer, though no sounds came out. I swallowed thickly, considering my answer before finding my voice again. “Yes I would.” 

“And why do you think that?” Mr Brunner asked with lightning speed, kind of like Jay. He hit the questions one after the other, fast. 

“Romeo and Juliet are pushed to do things by their love for each other and what they would do if they didn’t have each other,” I answered, replaying the key events of the play in my head in order to ensure that I did actually agree with what I was saying. 

Mr Brunner nodded in understanding, a small smile upon his lips. “Okay,” he finished, and said nothing more.  _ Did I say the wrong thing? Was my answer wrong?  _

He turned to the rest of the class, leaning against his desk at the front of the room. “Everyone, keep those primary ideologies in mind. You’ll find that the driving factor of this play will become very important later on.” We all watched carefully, listening for further instruction. “For the rest of the lesson, your assignment is to understand the play as best you can. For those who haven’t read it, I suggest looking for summaries or even finding a movie and starting that. For those who have, maybe go over some of the key scenes.” Mr Brunner looked at as all one now time as he got out his laptop and opened it, glancing at us from over the screen. “Well, go,” he urged and after, said no more, turning to take a seat at his desk. The rest of us glanced at one another, surprised by the relatively simple instructions. For day one, this would be a nicer way to finish than  _ science.  _

The lesson passed quickly, me having found key scenes in the movie to watch happily… and me also being a huge hopeless romantic. The school bell rang, snapping me from a particularly good and entertaining scene to signal the end of class and the school day. Myself and the other students all began to morbid, closing our laptops and packing our bags. During the process of clearing my stuff, I remembered Morro and glanced his way quickly. Strangely, he left before I could even fully sit up. I shoved my laptop into my bag (quite aggressively) and stood straight up, for a reason I was not totally aware of. Not that it mattered, Morro had already left the room and was well and truly gone by then. 

Kai looked at me confusedly, a slight, smug grin sent my way as he packed up his stuff also. I blushed and turned my head quickly, ensuring he didn’t see my face as it heated even more. I was just interested, that’s all. I hadn’t even known Morro for a full twenty-four hours. 

Even so, I had to figure out why he was practically a magnet for my eyes and mind. 

* * *

Morro collapsed onto the rickety old bed. It groaned under his weight, threatening to dissolve into a pile of dust and a terrible mattress to fall into the equally unstable floor in a matter of seconds. He was too tired to care. If he did end up on the ground, so be it. 

Needless to say, Morro hated school. 

The former ghost rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling intently, his arms stretched out. Eyes wide and I focussed on the roof, his consciousness took little drops in and out, and every so often Morro would forget what he was thinking about altogether. It was a strange exhaustion to encounter, having not been a human for so long. 

After a while, his mind began to wander back to his first life, way back when he was a child and before he met Wu. The poor boy would sit on the outskirts of Ninjago City and watch as students would finish their classes. Morro tsked at how pathetic his past self was, struggling to imagine even wanting to be in the same general area of a school now. 

_ The young boy shifted his position on the concrete sidewalk slightly, his muscles growing tense and tight after the long day of sitting on the hard ground. Even so, he would not move; he was waiting. A loud bell sounded and Morro glanced up eagerly as children began to flood from the now-opened school gates. They laughed and they yelled. Some bolted from the doors now thrown open while others walked leisurely in groups, conversing with their friends about their day and classes. Some students emphatically explained their horrid teacher, or mountains of schoolwork to be done that night. They all looked so _ happy _. Even if they did not realise it, Morro could see.  _

_ Morro sighed, drinking in the sight and the accompanying sounds with awe, though jealousy stirred in the pit of his stomach. His hands fiddled with the grass, pulling at the blades in little handfuls subconsciously. Envy wove its fierce grasp around the little boy’s heart and though he did enjoy watching the students, he wished for nothing more to be one. He wanted to kick around a ball and laugh and complain about homework. He wanted to be normal.  _

_ But he wasn’t normal, he was Morro.  _

_ And Morro didn’t get to play with the other kids, that wasn’t how his life worked. He got to sit and watch them in hopes that someone would eventually notice him.  _

Morro rolled his eyes at the memory. “Note to past self,” he started sarcastically, eyes still locked upon the ceiling. “School isn’t as fun as you thought.” Morro laughed bitterly, clicking his tongue in some form of disappointment. There was no doubt that he did not want to go to school—he already loathed the place despite spending less than ten hours there—but he had to do this, for Wu-  _ for the Preeminent.  _ The former-ghost sighed, reminding himself once again of the greater goal his presence in Ninjago City and specifically, this realm, held. He really needed to stop forgetting about the Preeminent, considering the reason he was sent in the first place was of very high importance. Arguably, it was more important than his desires to hurt Wu like the old man hurt him. 

But Morro did not see it like that; he saw revenge. 

He allowed himself to push the Preeminent and the inevitable tasks that lay ahead for the moment. Instead, future wishes and dreams of that moment of peace where he would get his revenge filled his mind’s eye, memory consumed by the past at the same time. Morro was aware of what he had to do, but he wasn’t going to focus on that right now, he had plans of personal value that he couldn’t help but place above the Preeminent. 

Such thoughts, though not what one may expect to be calming, lulled him to a broken yet increasingly calm sleep. His eyelids fluttered and breath began to even out. 

Until, a specific mental note jumped to his memory and he was snapped awake. Morro leapt up from the bed, careless despite its fragile state. His eyes shot open and his head spun at such a quick movement. He groaned before practically crying into his hands in disappointment. 

“Fuck! I have homework.” 


	6. Chapter Five

So maybe I was lying when I said I _barely_ noticed Morro. It had been a week and I was still yet to stop looking over at him every goddamn lunch and recess. But it wasn't like I was intentionally staring- I didn't even realise I was staring.

Hence, when I was staring once again, I was unaware until I was and struck from yet another form of trance I had wound up in by Cole. The guy--giant compared to my little self--leant down to reach my eye level. His face rested beside mine, just above my shoulder, as he figured where it was my gaze had led me once more. He smirked, my obliviousness proving as funny apparently.

"You're staring again," he 'whispered' loudly. His eyes flicked from me to the strange boy, Morro. Whom, I was yet to see even turn in my direction. Even so, something held me in place and I could not break myself from such grasps. Not that I was protesting, _he wasn't a bad sight- I mean, what?_ I continued my thought until snapping into proper consciousness and realising that Cole was still beside me. 

I jumped, twirling my head quickly, risking whiplash, to match his triumphant smile at my growingly suspicious reaction. A nervous smile worked its way onto my lips and I stuck with it the best I could, raising my posture enough to push an illusion of confidence. "W- what?" I risked words, attempting to play it off. Total failure.

Cole's face grew into a wicked, teasing grin as he shrugged in sarcastic nonchalance, continuing to watch the guy as I was seconds earlier. Though, I'm assuming my own face possessed more star-struckness than his, which was composed primarily of consideration and interest. Cole raised an eyebrow and tilted his head while surveying the sight. Eventually, he spoke after a very serious stare, "I mean, he isn't exactly my type. Got more of that 'bad boy' vibe going for him, but he's definitely cute all the same. I understand the attraction," Cole shrugged casually, though his smile dictated otherwise. He knew I liked him. Liked- was drawn to- him. 

God I am such a mess. 

Jay shot up behind him, clicking me from another mini-crisis in my head, "Cole! Your queer is showing!" He grinned teasingly and tapped his friend on the head in a loving, light-hearted way. The bounciness of this guy reminded me of a bunny, or a puppy. He was just the embodiment of happiness. 

Cole turned his head to face Jay before pushing him away with the side of his hand. "Thanks Zaptrap, I don't think I was doing much to hide it.” The two began to bicker and I listened to the tennis match of insults or jokes- sometimes both. They had a strange relationship. 

I laughed at their antics before turning back to Morro. He still sat alone, though it wasn’t a depressing solitude as one might expect. The boy barely looked up from the table, nor did he eat anything (that I had noticed thus far), but he did not seem the slightest bit concerned by anything. It was as though everyone in the entire freaking school had come to an unspoken agreement; he wouldn’t speak to anyone and in turn, they wouldn’t speak to him. Whether people were too scared of him, or he just wasn’t important to the other students, I was yet to figure out. 

Because I was going to break this unspoken agreement. I needed to talk to Morro, if not for his sake then my own. I wrung my hands together nervously, seriously considering just going up to him, slamming my hands on the table and screaming at him for taking up the better part of my consciousness for a week. No- okay, I wouldn’t be that aggressive. But I would speak to him. 

Cole snapped his fingers in front of his face, making me jump again. He rolled his eyes when I finally came to. “You really have it bad,” he sighed with a shake of his head. 

I shook my head, squinting my eyes in confusion. “Have what bad?” Sure, I had a vague understanding of what he was talking about, but I wouldn’t admit it. 

Cole let out an exasperated breath, dropping his shoulders for extra emphasis. “Seriously, just go up and talk to him.” 

Damn, he practically read my thoughts. 

“Yeah,” I started unsteadily, “but-” 

“Talk to who?!” Kai butted in, sticking his head by mine and Cole’s faster than I could comprehend. His grin held the most concerning smirk. He knew something was going down. “What’cha talking about?” 

“Nothing!” I responded quickly, just not fast enough. 

Cole grinned slyly, nodding his head at the dark, brooding boy across the cafeteria who either didn’t notice our blatant staring, or was ignoring us. Kai gasped out loud, eyes wide like a child who had just been told Santa was behind them. He stuck his head up to get a better look, craning his neck awkwardly. I pulled the red of his hoodie down immediately. 

“Owowowoow! The hair! Watch the hair!” Kai cried, leaning his head down and protecting his brunet spikes with two hands held on guard around his hair. I wasn’t even touching his hair. 

I let go with reluctance and huffed through my nose while crossing my arms. “Don’t make such a scene and I will,” I muttered to myself. 

Kai watched me with a careful expression. “Damn, okay,” he eventually caved. This time, he stuck his head up to stare less obviously? It wasn’t great, but I would accept it over him practically waving at Morro and yelling ‘Hey! We are staring at you!’. Once Kai had gained a good understanding of the situation, he nodded back down to me. “So, why don’t you go talk to him?” 

“Talk to whO?” Jay came in next, recreating what had occurred with Kai just moments ago. He popped up beside me like a _fuckin’ ninja_. These people moved so fast it was impossible to keep track. 

I groaned, burying my face in my hands as Jay’s reaction attracted the attention of Nya, Lloyd and Zane. “Sure, let’s just get everyone involved,” I tutted under my breath, so quiet I thought only I heard it. 

“Yes, lets,” Lloyd remarked with a wink. How he heard me, I don’t know. Supersonic hearing or something. _These superhero-like children with their insane reflexes and senses. They may as well be the next ninja._

“Sooooo, what’s going on?” Nya prompted, leaning her elbows on the table and resting her chin on her fists. Her gaze was fixated happily on me and the attention made me squirm. 

“Nothing is going on,” I announced loudly, attempting to maintain a face of pure determination and truth… with little success. 

“That is not how it sounds, Y/n,” Zane shook his head. _Damn, I can’t even trust Zane in this._

“Okay, fine. Finee.” I breathed in deeply, exhaling with annoyance as I surveyed their eager eyes. “You will all be the death of me and it hasn’t even been two weeks.” 

Jay smiled as though it was a compliment, it wasn’t intended as one. “Aw, thanks!” I rolled my eyes and tried to hide my grin. 

“So are you going to tell us or not?” Lloyd asked, his eyes wide and eager as well. They were all as bad as each other. 

“Not-“

“Y/n!” Cole exclaimed, slapping me on the arm lightly. 

“Okay, okay, you are all so demanding,” I sighed, shaking my head and purposely stretching out my answer. They could only torture me if I would be able to do the same. “See Morro over there?” I began, pointing at him as subtly as possible and starting my story. 

* * *

“Well everything, that’s it for today’s lesson. It’s good to see that you all studied and know the play,” Mr Brunner announced, staring grimly at the few who made no effort to figure out the rest of the play despite the numerous lessons we had had on explaining its events and main themes. They squirmed awkwardly and I couldn’t help but smile in amusement. “For those who might like a little reminder I suggest catching up, next lesson I will give you all your first assignment and you will want to know the play.” 

A collective groan rang out, but a small twinge of curiosity sat in my stomach. Romeo and Juliet really was an interesting topic, especially when taught by Mr Brunner. He cared about our opinions and how we interpreted the play. He was one of the rare teachers I respected easily and listened to with eager intent. Almost refreshing. 

He held his arms out, signalling for us to pack up our things. Me Brunner got up from where he had situated himself on his desk and turned to pack up his own stuff. Notes and laptops and what not all made their way into their bags and chatter broke out amongst my classmates. 

Kai smirked, head tilted slightly at the person I was very aware to be behind me. I shook my head, tempted to slap him with the laptop I currently held. I thought better of it, deciding assault wasn’t the best way to earn a reputation in this place. I simply sighed, fitting my laptop into its case and then my bag. 

The bell rang, signalling the end of class. As always, Morro was practically the first out the door. He had said absolutely nothing to absolutely no one; a ghost in the classroom. Mr Brunner seemed to be in on this agreement to ignore him, and I didn’t understand it. Why was nobody compelled to so much as notice him like I so desperately was? I want sure if it was a blessing or a curse. It didn’t matter really, because either way it was driving me insane. 

Suddenly, Kai pushed me from behind, causing me to stumble with my bag slung over my right shoulder. “Hey! Wha-“ I cried out in surprise. 

“Go talk to him,” Kai whisper-shouted like the hopeless romantic he was proving to be. His eyes held that same glow as they did when I first started talking about Morro. I shook my head in response, but something turned in my stomach and for whatever reason, I suddenly felt determined to speak to Morro- actually speak to him. 

Sure, I was scared as shit, but there was something about the sudden drive in my belly that told me I should. And I listened. Whether that was a smart decision, or one of my more stupid, I did not care. “What the hell?” I whispered, hyping myself up to the pure delight of Kai. He practically leapt into the air and jumped for joy as I handed him my bag and took a step backwards toward the door. “I’ll be back in a bit,” I smiled, clicking my fingers at Kai before jogging from the emptying classroom, calling a quick ‘Thanks Mr Brunner!’ as I left. I sped up a little upon realising that Morro would be eager to leave. 

Insanely, he was actually still close. I left the classroom and turned down one corridor before glancing to my left and then my right, surprised to see him at the end of the next hallway. Suppressing the million anxieties that screamed at me to stop, I held up my hand and just went for it. 

“Morro!” I called, sounding more confident than I ever had in my entire life. The voice almost didn’t sound like my own, but hey I would take it.

Morro tilted his head but didn’t turn around, so I shouted again before the sudden spurt of adrenaline that was enabling me to do this stopped and I realised how much of an idiot I was potentially being. “Morro!” 

This time, he turned entirely and made direct eye contact with me. It was strange, even from here his eyes were piercing and intimidating yet magnificent. They were almost swirling abysses of clouds on a stormy night- just green. I shook my head, fascinated by the features before realising that I was actually staring at him. 

I practically jumped, running through my brain all the possible things I could and should do next. Conveniently, I had only just realised that I had his attention and didn’t plan on actually getting this far. Suddenly, instinct took over logical thought and I waved. 

I fucking _waved_. 

Uncertainly, and rightfully so, Morro raised his hand and waved back. It was slow and painfully awkward, but at least he didn’t initiate the waving transaction. I wanted to cry, but instead, I stood my ground and relied on that pulling in my stomach. I opened my mouth to actually say something, words finding their way back into my memory. I might have needed them forty-five seconds ago, but I would take what I could get. However I was interrupted by someone calling me from behind. 

It was three people, looking to be about my age. They walked perfectly in sync, not that ‘walked’ is the right word. They more- strutted. My hand fell from its pathetic wave, not necessarily a bad thing, and I turned to face them and their scarily bright and happy eyes. All three pairs of which were directed at me. Whatever joke I was about to say fell flat in my throat and I gulped, hoping they were going to pass me and continue on their merry way. Despite the warmth of their smiles, it felt wrong. Something was slightly off and ‘friendly’ wasn’t the first impression I received from them. More like, _run_. However, I failed to run, curiosity and pure fear growing the best of me and my now useless legs, so I stayed where I was. 

“Hello there,” the tallest of the three said. He crossed his arms, widening his smile. I tried to smile back but it felt more forced than his, if that was even possible. He stopped in front of me, towering over me. It became very apparent in that moment that I was very, very short. 

“Hello?” I said, confused as the other two stopped short also. I had never seen any of them in my life and though I knew I wasn’t the favourite of the school, I didn’t expect people to actually come up to me. Maybe I was wrong? 

“Hi!” The smaller of the trio exclaimed, voice so high and likely fake it was almost scary. I instinctively took a step back, not liking the chill that rang in the back of her voice. 

“Do you know who we are?” The final smiled brightly… too brightly. Her glittering teeth, white as white could be were shown off as she pulled her lips over them unnaturally. 

“...no?” 

“Well that’s about to change!” She replied, eyelids fluttering in a way that only made me uncomfortable. Her black hair was pulled into a ponytail so high and tight it gave me a headache. The few strands that weren’t pulled back, framed her perfectly heart-shaped face. Toned cheekbones and bright, bold lips completed the look and she was certainly beautiful. But this beauty felt like that of an evil-witch or something. Not the beauty one possessed when they were warm and kind. 

I tried to force myself to stop making assumptions. They hadn’t done anything to me and were actually being very polite-ish? Confidence was certainly evident, but what was wrong with confidence? It was me who was being the rude one- 

“Listen here,” the second girl leant in. Her auburn hair was out, though it didn’t look long enough to tie up anyway. Her tone changed in an instant, and I felt myself backing up automatically, even further. The giant guy, hair a dirty blonde and eyes small and dark, placed a firm hand on my shoulder. It didn’t hurt, but it inhibited me from moving backward. My nerves only increased. The three came close to my face and smiles fell into grim stares. “We,” she started, gesturing to her friends, “are people you don’t want to mess with.” 

“Right,” the guy echoed. He squeezed my shoulder slightly and I gulped down the limp working it’s at up my throat. 

“Okay,” I answered dutifully, feeling where this would go quickly. I was going to do my best not to escalate the situation. 

The girl with black hair stepped forward, “So I suggest, stop mocking us. You’ve made too much of an impact already.” 

“It’s getting on my nerves,” the boy loosened his grip to crack his knuckles. It was a typical ‘be scared of me’ move, but it still worked. 

“I don’t- I don’t understand? I haven’t done anything-“ 

“Actually, you have,” the auburn-haired girl interrupted with a snarl. 

“But-“ 

The three laughed as though my protesting was hilarious and I grew more uncomfortable by the second. Helplessly, I glanced backwards to see Morro still standing there. He leant back on one of the lockers that lined the walls with his hands in his pockets. Our eyes met and he made no move to help me, or offer words of encouragement, or anything. He just stared, eyes unfeeling. 

My gaze was brought back when ponytail narrowed her eyes and coughed. “I believe you know Lloyd Garmadon?” 

“Yea-“ 

“Well, see, Garmadork is the son of the most evil person to cause havoc Ninjago. And he is the same.” Each word she spoke of Lloyd was said with an expression as though she had tasted something sour and revolting. 

“Garmadork and his idiot group of friends deserve nothing,” tough guy growled. My stomach turned at the unkind words. They had done nothing wrong. 

I shook my head, Lloyd wasn’t like that. “No-“ I attempted to defend him. 

“Yes,” black hair sneered, giving me no opportunity to object. “And by supporting them, you are insulting us.” 

“I advise, you find the right side,” the other girl piped up, smile back and falsely bright as ever. It was like she was trying to welcome me to their group when it was clear they were bullies. 

“Otherwise, you’ll have a little something coming your way, far worse than whatever you have ‘suffered’ through thus far,” scary black hair girl finished. She practically spat the words and I felt fear further creep up my neck, making my hairs stand up on the back of my neck. 

The boy rolled his neck and shook out his shoulders, letting go of mine completely. I took a step back, feeling the trouble in the air only brewing. Even so, I was mad. 

They couldn’t just say that about Lloyd- “You’re wrong, you know,” I answered back before my mind could properly calculate the stupidity of my actions. I didn’t care the things they were saying weren’t okay or even remotely correct. 

Black hair scoffed. “Pardon?” She curled a ringlet of her hair around her finger. 

“Lloyd, and the others. They are good people,” you’re pushing it Y/n. “If it’s anyone, you’re the bad guys,” shit. I widened my eyes at the words, feeling them truthfully but only then recognising the severity of what I had just said. I was so screwed. 

“So,” auburn hair laughed, eyes wide in a terrifyingly excited way. “It seems you have chosen your side. This is highschool not a war- 

“We gave you a choice,” black hair shrugged with a scowl. I wanted to answer back again, but I shut my mouth and kept quiet. It wasn’t my place right now. 

“And you chose wrong,” the guy finished. He stretched out his palms and everything in me told me to run. But, for whatever reason, my legs seemed to ignore such messages and I stayed put. “Maybe we show you what that means.” 

“What-“ before I could comprehend exactly what he was saying or referring to, I saw a hand pull back and connect with the side of my face. It stung like hell and my eyes began to water. Falling onto the tiled floor in a way that would surely give me bruises, I did my best to find my bearings and get up. But everything was spinning and my vision only went cross-eyed. 

Laughter rang out around me, not that I could place it and then footsteps echoed away. I pretty much admitted defeat upon the floor. I crawled my way to the closest wall and rested my back against it. Tears threatened to skim my cheeks but I was too proud. And considering the fact that I wasn’t actually sure if they were still there, I didn’t want to take the chance and risk it. 

Soon, my vision cleared enough for me to see, but a splitting headache pierced my mind every time I focussed on something for more than a few seconds. Although, I did hear the second set of footsteps and looked up just in time to see Morro. He glanced at me, stopping to look at me on the floor. I made eye contact tiredly, a most likely confused expression upon my face as I did my best to maintain a clear vision. His hands still rested in his pockets and eyes nor mouth showed not a hint of worry or remorse. 

“You were stupid to say that,” he said so quietly I hardly heard it. But it wasn’t a timid quiet, it was cold and taunting. 

I shook my head in shock, triggering the headache to come back. I groaned and covered my eyes for a split second to block out the additionally painful stimulus. When I opened my eyes again, he was gone. 

My confusion only tenfolded. 

Too exhausted to argue or over analyse the interaction--I would leave that for later--I simply closed my eyes and rested my head against the back wall as gently as I could. I had accepted defeat, this was highschool and this was my current situation and that was it. Tiredly I slumped my shoulders and tried to relax, attempting to ignore the stabbing pain that burst into my head every few seconds. I was only partially successful but I would take it. 

Eventually, someone called my name and I sat up far too quickly- totally forgetting everything I had just experienced. Dizziness made me want to throw up, so I sped to put my hands down and steady my shaking figure. The voice grew louder and my headache more painful. I did nothing but hold up a hand as though that would help them find me. 

“Y/n!” I could make out Kai’s voice. I opened my eyes slightly to find him kneeling beside me, a worry expression painted on his face. 

I turned my head and gave a watery smile. “Hey Kai.” 

“What happened?!” He exclaimed, clearly worried about whatever mark was left on my face and my inability to respond properly. 

“Black ponytail… auburn hair and a big blonde guy,” I tried to explain. 

“Oh god,” he said, evidently aware of who I was referring to. “Can you stand?” 

“My head hurts whenever I move,” I replied back pathetically, blinking slowly. 

“Probably a concussion then,” he noted, and I didn't have time to be confused by such a sudden switch in personality from silly to smart. Not that I doubted his intelligence- it was just so contradictory. 

I sighed, rolling my neck in annoyance. “What a fun day.” 

Kai chuckled lightly in response, moving around to help me up. “Come on, let’s go find Zane.” 

“What- woah,” I cut myself off as I began to stand, the rushing to my head causing all thought to stop as I focussed on the pain and dizziness that ensued. When things faded for a second, I continued, “What would Zane know?” 

Kai did a half-hearted shrug. “The guy knows a thing or two in the medical department,” he said nonchalantly. 

* * *

Morro felt lots of things as he walked away from the very-clearly-in-pain girl he had watched be hit quite brutally. None of those feelings made much sense. 

And he wasn’t exactly sure why he had spoken to her either. Something in his gut had forced him forward and without thinking, he went with it. Even so, it wasn’t like he took the opportunity to be nice or anything. That wasn’t what he did. Morro wasn’t nice. 

The boy rubbed his temples in irritation, mad that one person could cause his entire mind to lose focus and sight of what he wanted. Especially when that person wasn’t important like the Green Ninja or Wu. It was just some girl, someone pathetic at that. 

Even so, there was something about her. And as much as he hated to so much as think it- he didn’t totally hate her. 

If only he knew why. 


	7. six

Surprisingly, my run-in with the bullies didn't lead to a concussion, just one killer headache. I was yet to decide on whether that was something to be thankful for. However, while I was getting a mini-check up from Doctor Zane (I don't know why I was surprised he was good at doctor-things), I did learn all about previously mentioned bullies.

"They are dicks," Kai started, sitting himself on the table across from me as Zane shone a light in my eyes. I blinked quickly in response to such a bright light before returning my attention to the fiery teen who was currently clenching his fists. I was low-key terrified he would try to kill one of them. He seemed like someone who could throw a real powerful punch if he so desired.

I huffed. "Shockingly, I figured that much out for myself." I nodded at Zane while he attempted to figure something out despite my head moving unhelpfully.

Kai rolled his eyes at my sarcasm. "They are essentially the 'mean girls' of Ninjago High, just crueler," he said dead seriously, despite the humorous nature of the comparison. "Oh and one of them is a guy," he added unhelpfully. "The guy, his name is Connor. His cousin is Chen- do you know Chen?" Kai cut himself off with the question. I shook my head, trying to recall any Chen I had heard of. No one came to mind. "Well, Chen is also your typical bully, he's on the cheerleading team and all that. But he's more verbal in his insults, we are yet to get into a real physical brawl with him and his little gang."

"Wait," I stopped his explanation as my eyes widened. "Are you saying that you _have_ had a fight with Connor?" 

Kai rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Cole and I, may or may not have," his voice pitched higher with every word, "had a _small_ disagreement with him... once or twice."

"More than once?!"

"They guy said some bullshit about Lloyd and I lost my temper and just- punched him. Cole had come to _stop me_ from doing something stupid. But by that time I had already hit Connor, and Connor had already hit me, so Cole had to get involved," he sped through, but his tone was light and airy. Certainly not one I would expect a fight to be discussed with.

"Damn," I sighed shortly, though I understood. Sometimes, you just need to hit people when they deserve it.

"That's not the point," Kai waved off with a flick of his hand. " _The point is,_ Connor is all physical when it comes to bullying. Too many words confuse the guy so he stops the words with a good right hook." I would have laughed if it didn't hurt to both think about and to actually laugh, the side of my face stung. "The girl with the auburn hair, always overly bright and smiley with these dead eyes? Yeah, her name is Kailey." He sighed, pausing for a moment with eyes lost in the middle ground before continuing. "She was cool... then she wasn't." He spoke the last sentence with sadness lacing his voice, I couldn't understand why but there was a reason for it, I was sure of that much. His tone and expression it were gone so fast I was almost unsure it was there to begin with, so my analysis was cut short. "And our third and final, darling Lola. A true pleasure really. She reminds me of a snake." He stopped speaking entirely and I sat there for a few seconds, waiting for the explanation of the analogy. Kai eventually realised why I was quiet and snapped back into consciousness. "Oh! Because she's so pretty, but so- I dunno, terrifying? Everyone knows to either, stay away, or just do what she says. God knows it makes life easier."

"You say that like you did the exact opposite," I remarked dryly, this time fully prepared for him to go into another story about a fight he had with her.

"Me? Lola? You insane? I don't have the guts for that one," he said with a slight chuckle, dismissing the idea as if it was ludicrous.

I breathed an inward sigh of relief, _at least he hasn't caused trouble with everyo-_

" _Nya_ however, she went straight for it."

 _Nevermind_.I should have know better.

Kai's eyes lit up at the mention of his evidently badass sister, pride clear in every single one of his features. "She heard of some of the stuff Lola had been saying about Lloyd and her and was _pissed_ ," he laughed at the memory. "She slammed her hand on the table after Jay had relayed our encounter with the three earlier that day. We all looked up, she looked us all back in the eyes, said- and I quote, _'I won't hesitate, bitch',_ then did exactly that. She grabbed Jay's pudding, strutted up to their table and tipped it onto her perfectly done up hair. Zero hesitation." 

My mouth dropped open, I was hella impressed. _Stan Nya._

"Right?" Kai remarked in response to my facial expression. "We laughed for days after, even when Nya was suspended for two days- because her actions had started a proper fight. And you know, when girls fight, they are trying to _kill_ each other. I've never been prouder."

He opened his mouth to say something more when the others entered the room, interrupting. Cole took one look at my face and the first aid kit Zane had used to tend to my face and sighed heavily. "You already got her injured?" He asked, exasperatedly shaking his head at Kai.

The teen spluttered indignantly, about to defend himself when Nya jumped in. She squeezed the bridge of her nose tiredly. "I'm not even surprised at this point," she said with a shake of her head.

"Hey-" Kai tried to push through the growing complaints directed at him to explain the situation but such attempts were useless. The group continued mercilessly.

"It wasn't even me this time!" Jay cheered before turning seriously to Kai. "How dare you-"

"Guys-"

This went on for an amusing few minutes. The others proceeded to roll their eyes and make comments as Kai slowly resolved to a bitter silence, waiting for them to shut up and allow him to explain our situation. Eventually, they did just that, finally leaving a quiet an explanation would fill.

"I wasn't even with her," he began with an annoyed flick of his eyebrow. "She was with Morro."

"You spoke to Morro?!" Jay gasped excitedly, flapping his hands around with evident enthusiasm.

Cole smiled with what looked to be pride. "Told ya you could do it," he nodded at me.

"Yeah," I breathed unsteadily. "Kinda wish I didn't now though."

"Wait-" Lloyd pushed Jay to the side, halting his excitement as he watched Zane continue to check whatever it was he was checking on me. "Did Morro do this to you?" He gestured at my face, which I would assume had some form of mark left by my encounter with those bastards.

"No," I said firmly, finding myself become almost defensive over Morro, despite the fact that he was kinda a prick.

"Then who did?" Nya inquired seriously. She rolled her wrists out, letting them click somewhat intimidatingly as she eyed me carefully.

I opened my mouth to answer when Kai cut me off, answering for me.

"Our old friends," he said heavily, scanning the group who was still positioned just in front of the entrance to the room with knowing eyes that clearly meant more to them than it did to me.

The series of reactions that followed was something that I was quite honestly, a little bit surprised by. Nya now looked as though she was going to murder one of them, just like her brother. She, however, seemed to be the more likely option between the two to actually follow through. Jay visibly dropped, anger and irritation now evident upon his usually bright features. Cole's size became clear to me at that moment. Usually, his large figure only made sense as a teddy bear, a mammoth of a human who couldn't hurt a fly. But now, as he clenched his fists and brows were pulled together angrily, I was able to see the true danger he possessed. He could most definitely hurt more than a fly, he just needed to be provoked I now realised. Lloyd's reaction was the one that confused me the most until I actually thought about it. His eyes were downcast, refusing to make contact with mine. He was... guilty. _He better not think this was his fault-_

"Really, guys, I'm fine," I pushed in before they could blame themselves any further, or murder someone, or both.

Zane hummed in what sounded like disagreement as he finally stood back and removed the ice pack from my cheek. I shot a pointed look his way, he was not helping my case at all. Skilfully, the ever-calm teen avoided my gaze and continued on his merry way as though I had done nothing at all. The hint of a smile lit his eyes and my amusement equalled my irritation.

A small silence ensued, just long enough for Jay to raise his hand, almost as though we were in a classroom. I turned slowly, eventually landing on the boy in blue to nod my head in acknowledgement. "I'm still a tad bit confused," he began with a tilt of his head, reminding me of a puppy. "You said you were with Morro? And what actually happened with the others?"

I breathed heavily, forced to recall the events I idiotically sparked. "Basically, I went outside to go talk to Morro, we made awkward eye contact for about five seconds, the three musketeers came around and started talking—well really, lecturing me, my big ass mouth retorted and the big guy swung at me." I shrugged, recounting fairly nonchalantly despite what I was saying.

"Where was Morro?" Nya asked seriously.

"Oh, he was still there," I added, half absentmindedly. "It was like a mini show to him. The guy watched, then once I was on the floor and the others had left, decided to but his own two cents in and let me know just how stupid I was." I fiddled with the hem of my shirt as a tornado of confused emotion spun my stomach sick at the mere thought of Morro. I didn't understand any of this. I didn't understand how I felt for Morro now either. A sickly, regretful smile made its way onto my face that I shook out. _Way to start of school, Y/n._

Kai muttered under his breath just loud enough for us all to hear. "Prick."

"So, what are we gonna do?" Jay questioned, a tad bit of excitement picking up his tone.

_Oh no._

"Yeah! Who first-" Nya encouraged with a pumped fist.

"No one is doing anything," I stated firmly, surveying the group to ensure they all made eye contact with me and heard. "We leave it."

"But-"

"Oh-"

"C'mon Y/n-"

"No one. Is doing. Anything," I echoed with further emphasis. "Understood?"

"Understood," they groaned in unison.

Jay sighed, shoulders drooping. "You can be scary y'know?"

I smiled in response but soon directed my attention to Lloyd, who hadn't seemed to hear any of our conversation. "You okay Lloyd?"

He glanced up momentarily as if awoken from a trance. His movements to follow were unnatural and jittery. "Oh- yeah, fine."

I couldn't help but question whether that was true.

We all sat in the quiet for a little while. It was peaceful rather than awkward, kinda nice. Eventually I looked up again. "Quick question, how bad is my face?"

Was I terrified of the answer? Yes. But did curiosity kill the cat? Also yes.

Cole squinted, voice pitched. "I mean- how much do you like the idea of 'big bruise covering half your face'?"

My face contorted. _Shit_ , this cat was going down.

"Somebody give me my phone," I said monotonely. Jay timidly handed me the device, apparently I was scarier than I thought. I clicked it opened and swiped to the camera, switching it into selfie mode.

And, true to Cole's description, there was a bruise that lined my cheek and side of my forehead, crawling up my cheekbone and stretching toward both my hairline and jawline; a work of swelling red with purple highlighting my cheekbone. It was a truly magnificent mark for a single hit, almost impressive.

My mouth hung open in shock as my mind did its best to figure out how to explain this to other people.

_Fuck._

In my consideration, I noticed the time on my phone screen. _Oh no. Oh no._

"I'm late again! My dad is going to murder me for real-"

The others all sent me amused looks that I didn't even have time to respond to. I simply grabbed my phone and ran from the room. On my way out, Jay following behind, I caught sight of my face in a mirror that lined the wall and reconsidered the bruise that caused me to be late in the first place. I groaned. I didn't have time to cover it up. I had no explanation.

_I was so screwed._

"ByeJay! Byeeveryoneelse! Thanks for having me!" I called over my shoulder in a rushed voice as I ran outside toward my car and got in as fast as possible.

"Drive safe!" Jay called from the doorway, clearly a little spooked by my rushing. I nodded in acknowledgement and sent a thumbs up as I clicked my seatbelt into place.

In my rush I failed to notice what one would deem strange pictures adorning the walls depicting the strange ninja team. I missed the weapons that hung around, ready to be used at any moment. I even missed the front of the house, only looking up for a split second to check my mirrors. So, I missed the fact that the place I was being housed in was actually a gorgeous monastery, with beautiful gardens and everything my little brain could ever dream.

I missed it all. As I drove away, mildly confused by the amounts of greenery and large trees that shielded what I believed the be their ordinary home, I was none the wiser.

The only thoughts on my mind was one; _how the fuck was I going to get out of here?_ And two; _how fast can one drive while still being safe?_

🍃🌪🍃

"Dude!" Lloyd called annoyedly the moment Y/n was gone. "What the hell?"

Kai opened his arms wide, shrugging in an aggressively defensive way. "I had to bring her somewhere! She could hardly see, let alone walk. I need to take her to him-" He pointed to Zane, who sat quietly and said nothing in response, thought the look on his face pretty clearly conveyed his thoughts of 'don't get me involved'.

Cole opened his mouth to answer further when Kai continued before anyone could get another word in.

"She could hardly see anyway! I thought that by taking her in quickly, in her own car, then straight into the kitchen where _nothing_ unordinary is, that we would be fine."

"How did you expect to get her out safely?" Lloyd mused with a sigh, rubbing his forehead tiredly.

Kai opened his mouth. Then closed it again. Then opened it. Then left it open. No sound, let alone one that would justify his risky decision, came out of said open mouth.

Everyone groaned.

"I would figure it out eventually!"

Lloyd bit his lip in irritation, staring to the ceiling (or perhaps, the First Spinjitzu Master) for help. "You can't just risk our identities like that!" He told the teen off, clearly pissed.

"Can't we trust Y/n? She's pretty cool," Jay said quietly, watching Lloyd with caution. He was always on edge about situations regarding their identities, and rightfully so, but lately the team leader's strictness had only tripled, concerning the others. They were yet to figure out why he was so out of sorts these past few weeks.

Cole shrugged in somewhat agreement hesitantly. "She is cool, but I dunno- telling her we're the _ninja_? That's a big deal. We've only known her a few weeks."

"I wasn't going to tell her we were the ninja," Kai attempted at defending himself once more, most likely more to his own demise than anything else.

"You may as well have!" Lloyd bit back, eyes flashing for a sliver of a moment.

Kai noticed and immediately recognised that things were not going to be solved here with Lloyd already worked up. The teen exhaled, taking time to calm himself. "Listen, I'm sorry Lloyd. I know I shouldn't have taken her to the monastery, it was stupid and I didn't think it through." Lloyd nodded, crossed his arms with a raised eyebrow as he listened. "I just wanted to make sure she was safe. I mean- you saw the bruise on her face. Connor hit her _hard."_

Lloyd rolled his wrists out, focussing on his emotions carefully. "Fine," he breathed harshly. "Yeah- I get what you're saying. Still-" the eye contact he made with Kai, eyes connecting intimidatingly with his own, "don't do it again. It was dumb and we could have almost gotten caught. We can't rely on Y/n being oblivious all the time."

"Speaking of-" Nya interrupted, reaching her hand out as a thought came to her mind. "Do you think she'll be able to get home?"

The group of teens all stopped short, considering the question with new found worry. _Would she? The forest that hid the monastery was certainly a complex one. Not to mention, very few people were actually aware of its existence._

"Surely," Kai reassured with an overeager nod. "Right?"

"Um," Jay looked at the floor guiltily. He probably should have driven her himself.

Zane looked very unconvinced and clearly lacked trust in her. Cole reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. "I'll just shoot her a text, just in case..."

🍃🌪🍃

This place was something straight out of a horror movie. Trees loomed from above and the singular, wide, dirt road continued for what felt like forever. Whether that was reality, my impatience, or my fear making it feel like forever, I was yet to figure out.

Essentially, I was dead, so dead. I wouldn't even get home so that my dad could kill me, some stranger would do the honours out here instead.

If there was one thing to be thankful for, it was the fact that there was only one road that led outward from their home. Which, the more I consider it, really was in the middle of nowhere. I was relying on this one, dusty road with an arch of trees shielding any light from entering. Soon it would get dark, and when that would happen I was as good as gone.

Then, the road opened... into three different roads. And those roads, I could see, also split.

Fuck.

I sat at the division for a few seconds, glancing between the three before remembering that GPS existed. Sighing in relief I grabbed my phone and opened up maps. A screen that then read 'location not found' greeted me.

Now I really was dead.

Leaning into my steering wheel, I rested my head with a 'bump' and waited for my doom.

My phone suddenly buzzed from where I had thrown it onto my passenger seat in misery. I jumped, momentarily scared with the image of somebody watching me still lurking in the back of my mind. I picked up the device and almost cried. Cole had texted me.

 **Cole**  
5:33pm   
_hey, just checkin up on u_  
_u know ur way home?_

 ** _Me_**  
5:33pm   
_oh my god no please help me_

He didn't respond and for a second I thought I had seemed too freaked and scared him off or something. Before I could panic fully however, an incoming call vibrated the phone in my hand. I answered after ensuring it was Cole.

" _How's it going_?"

"Get me out of this maze _now please,_ " I begged, well and truly beginning to freak out as the dark began to show its first signs of consuming me between the leaves that already blocked the decreasing sunlight.

" _You're okay, calm down_."

"I don't know if you've noticed, but this is a fucking maze. This is the part of the movie where the idiot all by herself _dies,_ " I responded urgently, glancing into my mirrors again. No one was there but I was paranoid.

A sigh sounded at the other end of the phone. " _You aren't going to die_."

I laughed nervously, my brain overly exposed to horror movies (regrettably) wishing to believe the words but struggling. "Tell that to the dead me, murdered in my car tonight. Hope you speak at my funeral, let the world know you didn't believe me."

" _You are so dramatic, Y/n._ "

"I have no idea where I am Cole," I retorted with increasing anxiety. I needed to be home now, I was in the middle of nowhere because apparently that's where these people _live_ and the dark was setting in. 

My growing fear seemed to translate via my voice because softened. " _It's okay, I'll make sure you get home safe. Let me direct you._ "

I took a shaky breath in then exhaled in a similar fashion. "Okay-" I inhaled deeply and repeated again. "Okay, thank you so much. Please, where do I go from the three roads?"

Cole spent the next little while directing me through the twists and turns of the forest that did lead to civilisation once again, it just took a little bit of searching. There was no way in hell I was ever going to remember how to get back there, let alone figure out _where_ it was to begin with. Once I was back into the streets of Ninjago I was beginning to recognise, the road I came from seemed to disappear from existence. Maybe I was just listening to Cole too closely and wasn't really paying attention to anything else, but I found it a little bit strange.

"I think I know where I am now," I alerted Cole with a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

" _Anytime, I got your back._ " He spoke with a warm smile I could hear through his voice alone. I still struggled to understand how he could become someone to get into _fights_. It didn't fit him. Or maybe I just didn't know him well enough yet. Either or.

I grinned at the comment before saying goodbye and he hung up, allowing me to drive the rest of the way home in silence. It was almost peaceful, the little quiet I sat in as I pondered just how lucky I was to have made friends so quickly, and such good ones. I was in a good mood and it was very pleasant.

Then I pulled into the driveway and reminded myself why I was so scared to go there to begin with; Dad. Me. Late. _Crap._

I sat in my car for an extra two minutes, biding time despite that only making things worse. I just had to do it, like ripping off the bandaid. I inwardly groaned before clicking open the car door and pushing it open. I trod my way into the house, hearing the call I was dreading as I pushed the front door handle open.

"Y/n!"

I hesitated before answering. "Heyyyy Dad."

"You're late to dinner! Again!"

"I know and I am so sorry," I began, stepping into the dining room where my dad and his girlfriend Klara sat, staring at me. Both held disappointment in their eyes. Once I entered, their eyes widened at the sight of me. Their gaze lasted longer than what was comfortable as I attempted to decipher their expressions.

"What are you staring at-"

"What is wrong with your face?!" Klara exclaimed suddenly, cutting me off.

 _Damn okay, harsh much?_ I was about to retort with something a little less than nice when I realised she wasn't making a comment on attractiveness and instead, the big bruise that decorated half my face.

"Oh, _no_ ," I whispered, my own eyes growing large as I remembered the bruise I totally forgot to cover it up. _How do I explain this?_ "Um, PE," I rushed, saying the first thing that came to mind. "A ball... hit me in the face."

My father considered my answer with a stern expression "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, perfect. It doesn't even hurt," I lied, pushing away the pang in my head that was yet to go away.

He tilted his head to the side. "So why are you late?" Dad asked, gesturing to the cleaned plates in front of him and Klara. I had missed dinner entirely this time.

"Getting my face- tended to?" It came out as more a question than a statement.

"I thought you said it didn't hurt."

"It doesn't, not anymore," I tried to cover. "A friend of mine was putting ice on it and stuff, making it better." _That wasn't technically a lie._

I could feel the irritation in my father's glare, but he said nothing more, only nodded his head at my usual spot on the table. My plate was there, food ready to be eaten. I sat down with a suppressed sigh, knowing the look in his eyes meant that I was going to be told off after Klara left. _Yay._

My plate was cold but I didn't dare comment on it, just ate as quickly as possible. Not that it made the time pass. Father Time was punishing me also, apparently, slowing things down so that it felt like I was eating in the silence for an eternity, the only sound being my cutlery scraping the glass of the plate.

Finally, I finished and cleaned up, leaving Klara and dad to most likely share their disappointment regarding me in ways that didn't include exceptionally obvious stares. Sitting in my room tiredly, I forced myself to do the homework I had been ignoring as I awaited the dangerous shout I knew all too well by now. Never in my life had I actually preferred math over something, until this moment.

Though I did my best to distract myself, I heard the click of the front door, signalling that Klara was leaving. I put down my pen with a sigh. _Here comes the lecture._

"Y/n!"

I groaned, closing my eyes as I exhaled, not only biding time but just expressing my annoyance before I accidentally snapped and made a stupid mistake with my dad. I'd said the wrong thing enough for one day.

"Coming!" I responded before his impatience could increase any further.

I trotted downstairs and grimaced inwardly at the stormy expression my dad wore. He sat at the dining table and watched as I made my way over before seating myself down opposite him. My father took his sweet time in making me stew in the uncomfortable silence, waiting for me to inevitably crack.

"Look- I'm sorry," I began, defeated. _Crack._

"You have been late to dinner two from three dinner with Klara, Y/n. Not to mention all the times you are here but avoid it." My dad leant back into the wooden chair, crossing his arms in that typical 'I'm a disappointed father' stance. "You need to act like you _want_ to be with us. Like you accept Klara."

" _That's not necessarily correct~_ " I breathed with a tight, ironic grin.

He sighed. "Y/n-

"I just don't understand why I even have to be there in the first place. Wouldn't it be nicer to have dinner with your girlfriend without me sitting there awkwardly?" I placed both my hands onto the table, watching my fingers move just to find a way to avoid eye contact.

"That's not the point."

"Then what is?" I looked up to him with wide eyes, waiting for an explanation I apparently needed desperately. Him taking this so seriously was downright irritating and it made no sense.

He opened his palm toward the roof, fishing for the right words. "I want you two to get to know one another. I want you to like her." My dad looked at me expectantly, as though I was going to jump to say that I loved her already or something. I made no move to do such and after a few moments, he realised. "What is your problem with her?" My father scoffed.

I rolled my eyes. "I don't have a _problem._ She just- Our family worked fine when it was just the two of us. Now you are trying to force her into it like we have always had her there and its normal. Klara's fine, I just have no urge to connect with her. I'm sorry." I shrugged, turning back to start standing. He was being unfair.

"You don't just get to turn away from me, come here."

I breathed heavily, facing him once more tiredly. "Look, I'm sorry that I won't just welcome your girlfriend into our family with open arms. It's not that easy. I didn't think we needed a replacement for Mom." I scrunched my eyes at the last word, hating so much as the thought of that woman.

My dad's face immediately softened. "I'm not looking for a replacement," he began softly.

"I know, I know," I pushed away his hand as it reached for my shoulder. "I'm sorry," I repeated, more sincerely this time. I was probably being unfair too.

"Y/n, please just _try_ to show Klara more effort. She really wants to be liked by you."

I didn't quite believe that but I nodded my head anyway, not willing to say any more than I already had. I showed my dad a watery smile before looking back to the hardwood floor. "I better get back I have... math," I said slowly, the awkwardness rising in the atmosphere once more. Dad grunted in what I took to be agreement and I pushed my chair back, making my way back up to my room as quickly as I could.

Reopening my math book, I groaned. Now I didn't have the motivation. I slumped, pressing my cheek into my fist into defeat before remembering why I had been avoiding doing that before. "Ow!" I exclaimed, feeling the bruise again. I threw down my pencil in irritation.

Gods above, give me _one day_ where things go right. That's all I ask.


End file.
